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CITY OF MEXICO 

AX7TH0BIZED FOR PtTBLIC ATION WITH 

THE MEXICAIN GUIDE 

By GENERAL CARLOS PACHECO, 

Minister of Piibltv H'or, U-a, 18fi5. 



Public Buildings. 
AcadcmiatleBclhis Artcs.O, 103 




I 



TO TOURISTS AND OTHERS about to 
visit Mexico, The Missouri Pacific Rail- 
way System offers a choice of the pleasantest 
and most direct routes from St. Louis, 
Chicago, Kansas City, and also (via Texas 
and Pacific Railway) from GALVESTON and 
New Orleans. 

From all above points connection is made 
at El Paso, Texas, with the Mexican Central 
Railway, so that via either of the MISSOURI 
PACIFIC routes passengers can be sure of a 
Speedy and Comfortable trip to Mexico. 

Pullman, Sleeping, Dining, and Buffet 
Cars of the newest and best patterns through 
to El Paso in all express trains. For further 
information apply to 

W. H. NEWMAN, Gen'l Traffic Manager, ) 

H. C. TOWNSEND, Gen'l Pas. & Ticket Agt., \ ^'^' ^O^'S, MO. 

O. G MURRAY, Traffic Manager, ) DALLAS, 

B. W. McCULLOUGH, Gen'l Pas. & Ticket Agt., f TEXAS. 



JNO. E. ENNIS, Pas. Agt., S. H. THOMPSON, Cent. Pas.Agt., 
86 Washington St., Chicago. iiig Liberty St., Pittsburg, Pa. 

A. A. GALLAGHER, So. Pas. Agt., N. R. WARWICK, Pas. Agt., 

103 Read House, Chattanooga, Tenn. 131 Vine St., Cincinnati, O. 

E. S. JEWETT, Pas. & Ticket Agt., A. H. TORRICELLI,New Eng.Agt., 

528 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 214 Washington St., Boston, Mass. 



w. f. towne, wm. e. hoyt, 

Gen'l Eastern Agt. Eastern Pas. Agt. 

391 Broadway, New York. 



'* 'The Mexican Financier' is a prudent and very able defender of the 
great pecuniary interests of citizens ot the United States and Mexico." 
— Editorial , J>'<'«« York Herald, Julif ,»*, 1SS4, 



AVOID DULL TiMES AT HOME BY BUILDING UP AN EXPORT TRADE, 



Prospectus for 1 SS6. 



THE MEXICAN FINANCIER, 

Published Weehly in the Citi/ of' 3lex>ico, 



REACniNG AT.L THE BUSINESS Cl-ASSES TITllOTJOnOUT THE 

Repuulio of Mexico, 

THE MEXICAN FINANCIER 

Has b(^i>t»iiit> the LEU)1\U Jl>ril.\iL of that 4oniitry. 



AMERICAN CATALOGUES AND PRICE-LISTS 

EXHIBITED AND EXPLAINED AT 

OUI^ POI^BIGN MANUPAGTUI^EI^S' BUr^EAU. 



Offices in the City of Mexico, 
Cor. of Vergara ami Son Francisco Sis. 



Devoted TO the Advancement of Commercial Relations between 
THE United States and Mexico. 

Now in its third year, and encouraged, as it has been, by liberal advertisinjr 
patronage from the most enterprising manufacturers of the United States, " TH K 
MEXICAN FINANCIER" has become firmly established in a permanent and 
useful career. It has acquired an international reputation as a business journal, 
and has already inlluenced a considerable increase of trade between the United 
States and Mexico. 

i^^For a samj>le co/>y write to 

SIMEOlSr LEW c^ CO., 

The Jl ex lean Jb^i Hancier, 
CITY OF MEXICO, .... MEXICO. 



REDFERN 




J^ADIBS' TAILOR. 



Traveling, ISaJking, Yacliling Gowns, 
ijivSTERS, jack:kts, hats. 



SPEC/ALriHS: 

MOUNTAIM-KRING AND SHOOTING S 

Made in a few days. 



I'atterniy Sketches, and /iitimaUi will be foni^ijrded on. tf>plu.ali')n, froin 

REDFERN, 

210 Fifth Avenue, N. Y. 

Hunting and Sporting Suits of Every Des^:kii''iion 

Made from cloths unobtainable elsewhere in America. 
Specialty: RIDING BREECHES. 



GENTLEMEN'S DEPARTMENT 

Mk. Reijpkk.v has or>encd ?ijs c'-.tablishrncnt at 

1132 Broadway ^next Delmonlco's), 

AS A 

HIGH CI^ASS TAIJ^OK OF ^VIKN. 

under the most experienced managers and cutters obtainable in Kurof>n. 

The largest stock of Imported Tailor Cloths in New York to select from. 

Premiset entirely detaxhed from f.adies' Tailor in jf Department 



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• 





ACCIDENTAL INJURIES FROM 

Travel, Sport, or Business, 

Al^L J^TiOJJNJD THE GML.OBE, 
J.?*e Insured Against hy 

The Travelers, of Hartford, Conn. 

Only S5 per Year for $1,000 Insurance, with S5 Weekly Indemnity, 

to Professional and Business Men, Commercial Travelers, etc 

Larger Sums at Proportionate Rates. No Medical 

Examination Required. 

No Extra Charge: fo r European T ravel and Residence. 

Paid Pollcy-liolders, - - $11,500,000 

Paid Policy-liolders in 188 5, - - 885,000 

Asisets, $8,417,000. Surplus, $2,096,000 

Agencies at all important points. Policies written at any of them, or the 
Home Office, at Hartford. 



JAMES G. BATTERSON, RODNEY DENNIS, JOHN E. MORRIS, 

President. Secretary. Asst. Secretary. 



THE 



Mexican Guide 



BY 



THOMAS A. JANVIER 



WITH TWO MAPS 

I.— THE CITY OF MEXICO 
II.— ENVIRONS OF THE CITY OF MEXICO 



t/ 



3 




NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

1886 



Copyright, 1885, by 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

.J55 



TBOW'S 

PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY, 

NEW YORK. 



PREFACE. 



This book contains the information that I felt the 
want of when I first went to Mexico. The theory upon 
which it is constructed is, that what can be easily- 
found and plainly seen need not be laboriously de- 
scribed ; that a traveller of ordinary intelligence, after 
being told what to look for, and where to look for it, in 
a strange country, desires most to know the historic 
facts and associations connected with what he sees. 
Consequently — while I have not shrunk from using an- 
gular facts wherever clearness made such facts neces- 
sary — there are not many lengths, breadths, and thick- 
nesses in this guide-book. I shall be very grateful for 
suggestions in regard to changes or additions, statistical 
or otherwise, that those who use the Guide may con- 
sider necessary ; and still more grateful for corrections 
of the errors which, no doubt, will be found in my 
work. 

Excepting in archceology, where I have been guided, 



IV PREFACE. 

mainly, by the conclusions of Mr. A. F. Bandelier, my 
authorities ai'e almost exclusively Mexican. I have 
drawn freely upon the works of the late eminent histo- 
rian and archaeologist, Sefior Manuel Orozco y Berra ; 
upon the works of Senor Antonio Garcia Cubas ; upon 
the ecclesiastical histories of the late Seiior Luis Alfaro 
y Pina, and Seiior Manuel Ramirez Apai'icio ; upon the 
general Mexican histories of the Seiiores Julio Zai'ate, 
J. M. Eoa Bai-cena, and Manuel Payno ; upon the Chron- 
icles of Fray Agustin de Vetancurt and Fray Baltasar 
de Medina. In matters relating to the general history 
and customs of the Catholic Church I have been guided 
by " The CathoHc Dictionary," by the Eev. William E. 
Addis and Thomas Ai-nold, M.A. In my descriptions of 
travel over the lines of the Mexican and Mexican Cen- 
tral Railways I have used portions of the remarkably 
exact and trustworthy itinerary prepared for the Ray- 
mond Excursion Agency of Boston, supplementing this 
matter with matter drawn from my own observation and 
reseai'ch. 

I am imder obhgations to General Carlos Pacheco, 
Mexican Minister of Public Works, for permission to 
republish tlie accompanying official maps of the City of 
Mexico, and of the environs of the City of Mexico ; and 
to the United States Envoy to Mexico, the Hon. Hemy 
R Jackson, for his very courteously given aid in pro- 
curing me this privilege. I am under obligations, also, 
to Don Guillermo Piieto, and to the Rev. Father 



PREFACE. y 

Agustin Fischer, Curate of San Cosme, for advice and 
assistance in obtaining the several works of reference 
required in preparing the following pages. 

And most of all am I (very happily) under obligations 
to my wife, without whose assistance— not only in trans- 
slating and in proof-reading, but in the difficult and re- 
ponsible work of searching and collating authorities— 
the Mexican Guide assuredly never would have been 
prepared. 

TAJ 

New York, February 1, 1886. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



FART I. 
TRAVELLER'S GUIDE. 

PAGE 

I.— Going to Mexico: By Rail, By Sea, Side Trips, 

Mexican Railway and Diligence Lines 3 

IL — Hints to Travellers : Provision for the Jour- 
ney, Passports, Custom-houses, Etc 19 

III.— Tables of Mexican and United States Moneys, 

Weights, and Measures 23 

IV.— The City of Mexico : Baggage Express, Hotels, 
Restaurants, Lodgings, Baths, Servants, In- 
terpreters, Libraries, Stationery, Post Of- 
fice, Telegraph Offices, Railway Stations 
AND Offices, Diligence Office, Hackney 
Coaches, Saddle Horses, Boats, Street Rail- 
ways, Suburban Railways 26 

V. — List of Streets alphabetically Arranged, with 

References to Map 39 



viii TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



FAST II 
DESCEIPTIVE AND HISTOEICAL. 

PAGE 

I.— The Journey to Mexico : By Bail, By Sea 51 

II.— Municipality of Mexico: Situation, Climate, 
Historic Notes, Diputacion, General Mar- 
liETS, Flower Market, Portales, Prisons 73 

III. — Federal Buildings: National Palace, Cham- 
ber of Deputies, Mint, Arsenal, Custom- 
house, Etc 79 

IT. — Public Institutions: National Library, Na- 
tional Academy of the Fine Arts, National 
Museum 83 

Y, — Religious Foundations : Cathedral, Parish 
Churches, Foundations of the Religious Or- 
ders, Independent Churches 100 

YI. Schools and Colleges : Educational Statistics, 

Conservatory of Music (ex-Unps-ersity), La 
Minerl\, Escuela de Medicina, Other Educa- 
tional Provision 183 

YII, — Charitable Institutions: Hospitals, Asylums, 

Monte de Ptedad, Charity Schools. 190 

YTTT. — Public Entertainments: Theatres, Salon de 

Conciertos, Circus, Bull-fighting 205 

IX.— Public Works: Plazas, Alameda, Paseos, Cause- 
ways, Aqueducts. 308 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. IX 

PAGE 

X. — Various Matters op Interest: Public Monu- 
ments, Cemeteries, Notable Buildings, Etc. . 219 

XI.— Environs op Mexico: Guadalupe, Chapulte- 

PEC, MOLINO DEL REY, TaCUBAYA, SaN AnGEL, 

CoYOACAN, The Pedregal, Tlalpam, Popotla, 
Tacuba, Atzcapotzalco, La Piedad 226 

XII. — Short Excursions from Mexico : The Viga Canal 
(Santa Anita, Ixtacalco, Mexicalcingo), The 
Desierto, San Juan Teotiiiuacan, Texcoco, 
Tetzcotzinco, Molino de Flores, Cuatlen- 
ciiAN, Amecameca, Tajo de Nochistongo, Los 
Eemedios, Toluca 253 

XIII. — Excursions op two Days and More : The Mexi- 
can National Railway (Toluca, Acambaro, 
MoRELiA, Celaya, San Miguel de Allende), 
The Mexican Railway (Puebla, Cholula, 
Orizaba), The Morelos Railway (Amecameca, 
CuAUTLA, Yautepec), Cuernavaca, Ascent op 
Popocatepetl, Pachuca, Mountain Altitudes. 269 

General Index 299 



PART I. 
TRAVELLERS' GUIDE 



PABT I. 



1. GOING TO MEXICO. 

By Rail. At present the only all-rail route to the City 
of Mexico is to El Paso, Texas, and thence southward 
over the Mexican Central Railway. The running time 
to El Paso from New York is a little more than four days ; 
to the City of Mexico from El Paso, sixty-two hours. 
Monterey and Saltillo, the most important towns of 
Northeastern Mexico, are reached most directly by way 
of the Mexican National Railway, starting from Laredo, 
Texas. The running time between New York and Laredo 
is about four and a half days. It is possible, also, by 
this route (taking coach from Saltillo to San Isidro or 
Matamoras, on the line of the Mexican Central) to reach 
the City of Mexico. 

The through fare from New York to the City of Mex- 
ico (all-rail route) is about $125 ; to which must be 
added about $50 for sleeping-car fare, meals, and inci- 
dental expenses. 

By Sea. The direct sea route from the North Atlan- 
tic States to Mexico is from New York to Vera Cruz. 
Steamers leaving New York every Thursday usually 
reach Havana on Monday or Tuesday, and remain there 



4 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

one or two days ; Progreso, tliirty-six hours after leaving 
Havana, and remain there one or two days ; Vera Cruz, 
thirty-six hours after leaving Progreso. Calls ai-e made 
occasionally at the ports of Frontera and Tampico. Un- 
der ordinary conditions, the through time from New York 
to Vera Cruz is ten to eleven days ; New York to the City 
of Mexico, twelve to thirteen days. Fare, New York to 
Vera Cruz, $85 ; Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico (Mexi- 
can money), $16. 

From New York to Vera Cruz by sea, by way of Gal- 
veston (involving a change of steamers at that port), the 
fare is $70. The sea journey can be made, also, via 
Nassau, Havana, and Vera Cruz ; and via New Orleans, 
Galveston, and Vera Cruz. 

By Sea and Rail. A combination, land-and-water, 
route is possible by going to New Orleans or Galveston 
by rail, and thence (by steamers leaving each of these 
ports fortnightly) to Vera Cruz by sea ; or, by going to 
New Orleans or Galveston (by steamers leaving New 
York weekly for each of these ports) by sea, and thence 
to El Paso or Laredo by rail. 

Choosing a Route. In choosing a route the main 
fact to be kept in mind is — at least by travellers who do 
not object to sea-faring — that the best return for money 
expended can be got by making the journey to Mexico 
by sea and from Mexico by land. The converse of this 
arrangement will serve, though it is less satisfactory in 
the matter of temperatm-es, if the return is made before 
March. During this month the sudden descent from 
the cool table-lauds to the hot lands of the coast is 
imprudent ; and in an " early " year is exceedingly 
dangerous. Should winter sojourners be delayed by 
sickness or other cause until fever is reported in Vera 



GOING TO MEXICO. 6 

Cruz, the return journey absolutely^ should be made 
overland. 

Side Trips. As on the down-trip, by sea, branch ex- 
cursions very well may be made to Florida, the West In- 
dies, New Orleans, and Galveston ; so, on the up-trip, very 
jpleasant excursions can be made through New Mexico 
and Colorado. 

At Las Vegas a branch road of a few miles leads 
to the Hot Springs, and at Lamy a branch road leads 
to Santa ¥6. In both of these places there are good 
hotels. There is much of interest in Santa Fe — but 
less to a visitor from the south, fresh from Mexican 
scenes, than to a visitor from the north to whom adobe 
churches and flat-roofed houses are strange. From 
Sante F6 a slightly adventurous journey — adventurous 
in the sense of discomfort only — can be made by stage- 
coach to Espafiola (twenty-three miles northward), the 
southern terminus of the railway system of Colorado. 
The stage ride is across a hilly country, with fine moun- 
tains in sight, and through a few little towns — the pret- 
tiest of which is Pojuaque, where old Bouquet will pro- 
vide an eatable lunch and a bottle of very tolerable native 
wine, and will season the repast with cheerful conversa- 
tion in his native French, or in his imperfectly acquired 
English. North from Espafiola the journey may be con- 
tinued to the several points of interest in Colorado. A 
more prosaic way of reaching the same end is from Santa 
Fc to La Junta, and thence to Pueblo, by rail. 

Mexican Railways. The railway system of Mexico, 
as yet by no means complete, is a creation of the past 
ten years. Nearly fifty years ago the project of the lino 
between Vera Cruz and the capital first was considered 
seriously ; but the line was not completed until the year 



6 , MEXICAN GUIDE. 

1873. For a, long while it was the only railway in oper- 
ation in the republic. 

The Mexican Central and Mexican National Railways, 
each a system in itself, were projected about ten years 
ago. 

The Central sj'stem comprises a main line from El 
Paso to the capital, and a transcontinental line from 
Tampico, on the Gulf, through San Luis Potosi, Aguas 
Calientes, and Guadalajara, to San Bias, on the Pacific. 
The main line, completed a little less than two years 
ago, was formally opened Mai-cli 22, 1884 ; on which 
date the first international train left the City of Mexico 
and ran through — over the Atchison, Topeka and Santa 
Fe and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroads — 
to Chicau'o. The transcontinental line is finished east- 
ward from Tampico to El Salto, about seventy-five 
miles. 

The Mexican National system comprises a main Hne 
from Laredo to the City of Mexico, with outlets on 
the Gulf at Matamoros, Mexico, and Corpus Christi, 
Texas ; a branch from Acambaro westwai'd, through 
Morelia, Guadalajara, and Colima, to Manzanillo, on 
the Pacific ; a branch from Moctezuma westward to 
Zacatecas, and thence southwai'd to Lagos. The main 
line is finished between Corpus Christi and Saltillo, 
and between San INIiguel de AUende and the City of 
Mexico ; the western branch is finished to a point 
west of Morelia, and to a point a few miles east of 
Manzanillo ; a short section is finished at Zacatecas ; 
about fifty miles is finished out from Matamoros. 

The Southern Pacific system extends two branches 
into Mexico ; one through Eagle Pass, Texas, to Mon- 
clova, and one from Benson, Ai'izona, to the port of 



GOING TO MEXICO. 7 

Guaymas. For the most part the capital employed in 
the construction of these several railways has been ob- 
tained from sources outside of Mexico ; and all of them 
are operated by foreigners. Several minor roads, how- 
ever, have been built wholly with Mexican capital, and 
are operated by Mexicans. Of these the most important 
is the Interoceanic, projected as a transcontinental line 
from Vera Cruz to Acapulco through the City of Mexico 
— along very nearly the line of the ancient road over 
which the great trade between Spain and the East In- 
dies was conducted, two centuries ago. In point of fact, 
only a small section of this railway — about one hundred 
miles, from the City of Mexico through Cuautla to Yau- 
tepec — is completed. 

A less ambitious, and probably more profitable, line is 
the little road between Merida and the port of Progreso, 
built for the carriage of henequen from the interior to 
the coast. Plans are under consideration for still fur- 
ther extending this line into the henequen region. 

Diligence Lines. The very fair diligence service 
throughout the greater portion of Mexico enables an en- 
ergetic traveller, blessed with a fair allowance of health 
and bodily strength, to go almost anywhere. Informa- 
tion in regard to the more important diligence lines of 
northern and central Mexico will be found tabulated in 
connection with the railways of which they now are de- 
pendencies. 

In regard to the lines of southern and southwestern 
Mexico, information may be obtained in the Caj)itol, 
at the Officina General de Diligencias, in the rear of 
the Yturbide Hotel. Should an expedition by coach 
into the interior be undertaken, a very advisable prelim- 
inary to it is vaccination. 



8 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Railway Time-tables. The following time-tables 
are the latest obtainable, but, as they are liable to change, 
travellers are advised always to consult local agents, or 
advertisements, for exact information in regard to ar- 
rivals and departures of trains. In the City of Mexico, 
time-cards of all the railways leaving the city are adver- 
tised daily in The Tivo Bepublics. The tables are in- 
serted here because they give, in the most concise form, 
a definite notion of distances traversed, time consumed, 
and names of towns by the way. 



GOING TO MEXICO. 



9 



MEXICAN CENTRAL RAILWAY. 



Express 
No. 52. 



T.-^O p m 

S.USpm 

8.35 p m 

9.05 p m 

9.40 p m 

10.00 p m 

10.;^ pm 

11.22 pm 

12.08 a m 

12.31 am 

1.01 a rn 

1.30 a m 

1.55 a m 

2.46 a m 
3.23 a m 
4.00 a m 
4.25 a m 
4.50 a m 
5.25 a m 

5.47 a m 
6.15 a m 
6.55 a m 
7.20 a m 

7.52 a m 

8.23 a m 

8.53 a m 

9.30 a m 
9.40 a m 

10.02 a m 

10.24 a m 

10.52 a m 

11.20 am 

11.44 a m 

12.12 pm 

12.41 pm 

1.10 pm 

1.35 pm 

1.57 pm 

2.25 pm 

2.57 p m 

3.24 p m 
3.45 p m 
4.10 pm 
4.34 p m 
5.05 pm 
5.33 p m 
6.05 p m 

6.31 p m 
6.55 p m 
7.15 pm 
7.45 p m 
8.20 p m 
8.50 pm 

9.25 p m 
9.53 p m 

10.40 pm 



Kilo- 
metres. 



City of Mexico Time. 



17 

32 

48 

66 

77 

95 
119 
141 
153 
166 
179 
195 
224 
244 
264 
278 
292 
311 
323 
33S 

361.6 

384 
407 
424 
448 
456 
472 
487. 
508, 
524. 
539, 
559, 
577. 



597.0 



611 
631 
652 
670, 
685 
703, 
722, 
745 
767 
791, 
811, 



829.1 



850, 
^75, 
890, 
904, 
920. 
943. 



Lv..*Paso del Norte. Ar. 

" Mesa Lv, 

" . ..Tierra Blanca .. " 
"... Samalayuca ..." 
" . . .Los Medanos. .. " 

" . . . .Candelaria " 

" Ilancheria " 

" San Jos6 " 

" Carmen " 

"... Ojo Calionte... " 
" .... Las Minas.... " 
"... Montezuma. . . " 

" .... Chivatito " 

" GiiUego " 

" Puerto " 

" Laguna " 

"... Agua Nueva.. . " 

" Encinillas " 

" Sauz " 

"... . Torreon " 

Lv. . . Sacramento ..." 

^•[*Chihuahua jj;- 

" Mdpula Lv. 

" Horcasitas " 

" .... Bachimba.... " 

" Ortiz " 

"... Las Delicias. .. " 
" Saucillo " 

Lv Concho " 

Ar La Cruz Lv. 

Lv. . Santa Rosalia. . Ar. 
. .Bustamante. .. " 
Uiaz " 

Lv. . . La Keforma, . . Ar. 

^-}.,.Jimene...jJ;; 

" Dolores " 

" Corralitos " 

" Rallano " 

" .... Escalon " 

" Zavalza " 

" Saez " 

" Yermo " 

" Conejos " 

" Peronal " 

" Mapimi ■■' 

Lv Noe Ar. 

f^^-t...*Lerdo...i^^- 
Lv, ) j Ar. 

"... Matamoros. ..." 

" Picardias " 

" Jalisco " 

" Jimulco " 

" Peralta " 

Lv Cal vo Ar. 



Miles. 



Express 
No. 51. 



.0' 7, 
10.9 6 
19.9' 6 
29. 9| 5 
41.21 5 
47.9 
59.0 
74 
88.2 
95.2 
103.6 
111.8 
121.3 
139.3 12 
151.9 11 
164.5 10 
172.9 10 



181.5 
193.8 
201.1 
210.5 

224.9 

239.0 
253.0 
26:3.8 
278.9 
283.4 
293.4 
303.1 
315.8 
325.7 
335.5 
347.4 
359.1 

371.0 

380.1 
392.2 
405.5 
416.7 
425.7 
437.2 
448.9 
463.5 
476.9 
491.8 
504.2 

515.2 

528.6 
544.3 
553.2 
.562.1 
571.7 
586.6 



.15 a m 

42 a m 
i.l4 a m 
,43 a m 
,09am 

47 am 
,13am 
.26 a m 

43 am 
22 a m 

.55 a m 
.30 a m 
05 a m 
,15 a m 
35 p m 
.55 p m 

29 p m 
04 p ml 
.25 p m 
04 pm! 

34 p m' 
50 pm 
20 pm' 

48 p m 
18 pm 
48 p m 
10 pm 
00 pm 
38 pm 
17 p m 
48 p m 
20 pm 
59 p m 
31 pm 
04 p m 

35 p m 
10 pm 
48 p m 
,20 pm 
48 am 
22 am 
00 am 
35 a m 
11am 
40 a m 
12 am 
40 a m 
15 a m 
50 a m 

30 am 

00 am 
22 a m 

01 am 
40 a m 
10 am 
27 am 



* Trains stop for meals. 



All trains run daily. 



10 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 



MEXICAN CENTRAL BAlhWAY—Conthiucd. 



Express 

No. 52, 



15 p m 
J]0 p m 
54 p m 
80 p m 



ll.lS 
10.05 
ia.60 
1.87 
3.17 
S.55 
8.80 
4.1(5 
4,55 
5.30 
(5.01 
(i.80 
0.57 
7.50 
S.16 
9.35 
t».58 
10.80 



57 p m 11. 16 
U) p m 13.30 
1.15 



1.15 a m 

1.55 ft ni 
S,55 !\ 111, 
8.38 a ml 
IS a in! 
00 !\ m' 
30 a m' 
43 a m' 
,07 a 111' 
.81 a m| 
5-"^ a nij 
35 a m 
,46 a m 



1.40 
3.10 

8.03 

8.;i5 

4.38 
5.05 
5.34 
5.48 
0.05 
15.37 
(5.4(5 
7.13 
7.aiJ 



pill 
a 111 
a 111 
u in 
a in 
a III 
a ni 
a in 
a 111 
a m 
a m 
a in 
a in 
a 111 
a in 
a in 
a in 
a ni 
n 111 
V^in 
p 111 
p 111 
p m 
V^ in 
p m 
p m 
p m 
P 111 
P m 
V^ 111 
V> 111 

VMll 

pill 
pui 



Kilo- 
uietxes. 



%5, 
t»8l> 
1.013 
1.084 
1.055. 
1.075, 
1.05M. 
1.130. 
1.140. 
1.154. 
1,17(5, 
l.liU. 
1,30(), 



1,384.5 

1.3(5.1. 
1.374. 
1.3SV). 
1.8,35, 
1.846. 



City of Mexico Time. 



.\r. . . .La Mancha . . .Lv. 

Lv Syinon Ar. 

" San Isidw .... '* 

*' Caniaoho .... " 

•* (.Joii/.ivlos .... " 

" Ouzinaii " 

" l*nolu\\> " 

" ... La Oolorada... *' 

" Ootlro " 

" Oanitas " 

" C.utienw. " 

. Ateiulo/a .... Ar. 

. Frosmllo Lv. 



Miles^ 



8 
8 

1,884.9 

1.406.4 

1,483.8 

1, 449.5 

1.474.3 

1.495.1 

l.ri08.7 

1.533.4 

1.5.87.8 

1.5.54. 

I,.'i68. 



Lv 
Ar 
Ar 
Lv. )- 



I 



..*CsUera.. 



(Lv. 
(Ar. 



1,587.4 



OiLv 
Ar. 



Lv. ) 



ZaoatocasN 

. ...Guaiialupo '* 

t^nnnnit " 

SokMaa " 

Uiuoou do Romos.Ar. 
(^ *^y{juas j Lv. 
) Crtliontos. ( Ar. 

IVmiolas. " 

. . Eiioiirnaoion , . . ** 
. .Santa Mana. . . *' 
. . . Los Sahia .... " 

Lagos.. .... " 

Loma " 

IVdrito •' 

. . . Fnincist^j .... '* 

Lixni " 

Tiinidad Ar. 



599 
614 
629 
(543 

(555 
(5(58 
680 
696 
708. 
717, 
780, 
740. 
749. 

7(57.1 



E.xpivss 
No. 51. 



ao....] 



785 
791 
801 

8ii6 

860 

878 
8^X1 
9^)0 
916 
9'i9 
l>87 
1M6 
955 
9(55 
974 

986 



8,47 a 

8.0:3 a 

2.20 a 

2.,S7a 

13.68 a 

. 13.20 a 

11.40 p 

9 10.58 p 

8 10.15 p 
3 9.50 p 

9 9.10 p 

8 8.48 p 

7 8.15 p 
J 7.35 p 

7.05 p 
5.55 p 
6.37 p 
4 60p 
8.85 p 
S.OOp 
9.05 p 
1.40 p 

9 1.10 p 

8 13.18 p 
,7|ll.44a 
0'l0.55 ft 
10.18 a 



111 



9.56 a 
9.36 a 
9.14 a 
8.51 a 
8.a« a 
8.06 a 
7.45 a 



7.00 a m 
5.. 50 a m 
5.30 a m 
m! 4.43 a m 
ml 8.15 a m 
m S.88 a m 

-j 1.15 am 

111 13.85 a m 
m 11.87 p III 
ml 1.08 p m 
m!l0.15 p ni 
m I 9. 88 p m 
m 9.18 p m 
111, 8.53 p lu 
m' 8.38 p III 
ml 8.(18 pm 
m 7.43 p m 
m| 7.13 p m 
mi 6.60 p m 



Tniin 
No. 14 



6..80 p m 

5.45 p 111 

Stivot 



Train 
No. 13. 



7.25 ft in 
(5.40 a in 
oars. 



KiK'*- 
meters. 



Mile 



No. 11. 



.0 
19 
34.0 



Ar. 
Ar. 
Lv. 



, . * Silfto 

. .. MiUtil.... 
Gnanajiiato. 



.Lv. 
.Lv. 
.Ar. 



.0 
11.8 
14.9 



S.IO a m 
8.55 a m 



Train 
No. 13. 



Street cars 



7.90 p m 
8.00 p m 



8.05 a m 
8.83 a in| 
8.48 a 111 

9.06 a ni 
9.4ri a 111 

10.15 a in 
10.88 a in 
11.03 a m 

11.85 a III 
11.48 a in 

13.86 p m 



7.55 pinj 

8.33 p lu 

8. .'58 pin 

8.58 p ni 

9.. "'5 p 111 

10.07 p in 

in.. '50 pin 

10.55 p 11 V 

11.25 pin 

11. .'is p 111 

13.26 a m 



l.(500.6iLv 
1.617.9 " . 
1,(53(5.4 " . 
l.(5.S7.5! " . 
1,059.9 " . 
1,(578.8 '• . 
1,(591.5 " . 
l,7iH5.0 '* , 
1.734.5 " . 
1.739.0 i *' . 
l,758.y;Lv. 



..Villalobos.. 
. .Inipnato. .. 
. .. Oliioo .... 
.SaUunanoa., 

, . .Gnaio 

. . . Oolaya 

. . . Apaseo . . . 
.Marisoala., 
. .Quorotaro.. 
. . llorcnles. . , 
. Ahoroado . . 



Ar. 


9iM.6 




1,004.9 




1.010.6 




1.017.5 




1,081.4 




1,043.8 




1,051.0 




1,0(50.1 




1.071.5 




1.074.8 


Ar. 


l,0fc=9.8 

1 



7.3.1 a nij 
7.13 a m, 
6,.'iO a m 
().'>>S a mi 
(5.03 am 
5.85 aui 
5.17 a m| 
4.57 a 111 
4.80 a 111 I 
4.3i' a m 
8.80 a m! 



6.80 p m 
6,07 p 111 
5.. 58 p 111 
5.87 p 111 
5. (15 p in 
4..87 p m 
4.17 p m 
8,,^7 p in 
8.80 p ui 
8.30 p m 
3.85 p m 



* Trains stop for meals. 



All trains run daily. 



GOING TO MEXICO. 



11 



MEXICAN CENTRAL 'RMh'^ kY— Continued. 





Expn!«fl 
No. 52. 


Kilo 
moXffrn. 


City of Mexico Time. 


Mile*. 


ExpreM 
No. 61. 




1.20 pm 
1.40 p m 


1.2.5 am 


1,779.4 


At. 
Lv. 


) ♦Ban .Iiiandel J 
f Jiio I 


Lv. 
Ar. 


1,10.5.7 


2.50 a m 


2 00 pm 
1.40 prn 


8.33 p m 


2.35 a m 


1,808.9 


t< 


Cazmlero 




1,124.0 


'1.45 a m 12.40 p m 


2.5U p m 


3.00 a m 


1.818.1 


it 


Polotitlan... 




1,129.7 


1.25 a m 12.18 ]> ni 


3.21 p rii 


3.32 a m 


1,832.1 


tt 


Danu 




1.138.4 


12.55 n. jn 11.40 a m 


ZM p m 


3.50 a ni 


1,8-10.1 


it 


Nopala. ... 




1,143.4 


12.:i7 n. in 11.2H a m 


3.58 p m 


4.11 am 


1.848.4 


t( 


Marqucz. ... 




1,148.5 


12.20 a rn 


11. 10am 


4.0.') p m 


4.18 am 


1,H51 3 


ti 


Lefia 




1,1.50.4 


12.13 a rn 


1 1 .03 a m 


4.17 pm 


4.32 a m 


1,867.3 


tt 


.... An«oloH 




1,1.54.1 


12.01 a m 


10.50 am 


6.00 p m 


6.18 a m 


1.87t;.3 


It 


. .Ban Antonio.. 




l,l(i.5.0 


11.10pm 


10.07 a m 


6.;«) p m 


6.50 a m 
«.33 a m 


1,8«0.0 
l.W7.f) 


ti 


Tula 




1,174.4 
1,18.5.3 


10.45 l» rn 
10.05 p m 


'.).'<'A\ a m 


B.lO p m 


....El H;iltf>.... 


8.57 a ra 


«..'iO p m 


7.(KJ a m 


l,!Ji7.5 


ti 


. .Nfx;hlHU>rij<o.. 




1,101.5 


«.40 p m 


8,35 a m 


6.5(J p m 


7.20 a m 


1,023.5 


tt 


..llucMw.Uxi-A. .. 




1,HJ5.2 


9.20 1) rn 


8.15 am 


7.0.'5 p m 


7.35 a m 


1,»34.0 


tt 


...Tcoloyuoan.. 




1,201.7 


0.02 p in 


7..58 a m 


7.20 p m 


7.45 a m 


1,»42.3 


tt 


...Cuautitlari... 




1.200.0 


8.48 p m 


7.45 a ra 


7.30 p m 


7.55 a m 


1.040.1 


tt 


Lochfjria 




1.211.1 


8.37 p m 


7.34 a m 


7.J1.5 p m 


8.00 a m 


1,052.0 


it 


...Barrient<^>H. .. 




1,212.0 


H.y/Z p m 


7.20 a m 


7.42 p m 


S,0« a m 


1,(*58.3 


Lv. 


. .Tlalnf:pantla.. 


Ar. 


1,21«.8 


8.22 p m 


7.18 am 


7.65 p m 


8.26 am 


l.SWO.O 


Ar. 


Mdxwj. . .. 


Lv. 


1,22^1.1 


8.05 p m 


7.00 a m 



♦ Trains stop for mealn. All tralnH run daily, 

fitanrlarfl of time 1« City of Mexico, which i« 24 mlnut/'« faxt of "Mountain" 
time, and 30 minnU;H kIow of " (jcntral " time, the ntandard time UHcd by connect- 
ing roada p.t El ra»o. 



ELEVATIONS ABOVE SEA-LEVEL. 



Metreii. 


Station)). 


Feet. 


Metre*. 


Stations. 


Feet. 


1,133.06 


. . . .Pajw del Norte . . . 


3,717.4/) 


1,870.80 


Lapfofj 


6,134.60 


l,W(J.f}7 


Oallego 


5,448.40 ' l,787.fi9 


Lp/jn 


!),»;?j.m 


1,412.2« 


Chihnahna 


4,033.40 


1.800.15 


Quer6taro 


5,904.50 


1,220.03 


Santa IU>Balia 


4,022.40} 


l.!KJ4.00 


.. Ban .Juan d«)-Kio.. 


0,245.10 


1,381.17 


Jimonoz 


4.531 .40 


2,2.32.85 


Cazorlcro 


7.323.70 


1,13.5.50 


Lerdo 


3.725.40 


2,479.40 


Marqu6z 


8,l.'i2,70 


l,2f57.18 


Jimulco 


4,1.57 40 


2.0>'/|.00 


Tula 


fi.fr.K40 


2,140.80 


Calf;ra 


7,051.30 


2,2.58,50 


Huehuetrxja 


7,4^)7.90 


2,452 W) 


ZacatecaK 


8.044.50 


2,240.00 


Mexico 


7,349.8<t 


1.884.(KI 


. . . AtfuaH CaJienfcH. . . 


0.17».5fJ! 









GUAYMAS LINE. 
Vm A., J. &. 8. F.y So. Pac^ and Sonora Jtciiiroa/h. 



p.v. Miles, 



Tuewlay 

it 
Monday . 



, 8,00 
.12.18 
. 4,45 
, 3.40 
. 2., 55 
. 8.25 



286 



Ar Demint? Lv. 

*' Uf^nKon '• 

'* NoKalcK ,, " 

aJ;} HermoHillo \\^^ 

Lv Guaymas Ar. 



Miles. A.M. 




177 
2S5 



fi.OOThurKday. 

1.20 

9..55 " 

10..50 
11.35 Friday. 

6.05 " 

P.M. 



12 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 



55 . 






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GOING TO MEXICO. 



13 



MEXICAN NATIONAL RAILWAY. 

Soutlieno Didsion. 



Pan. 
No.5. 

A.M. 


Pas. 
No.3. 
P.M. 

4.00 
4.21 
4.29 
5.02 
5.07 
5.52 
0.02 
0.32 
6.49 
7.10 

P.M. 


Pas. 
No.l. 

A.M. 


Kilos. 




Kilos. 


Pas. 

No.2. 

P.M. 


Pas. 
No.4. 
A.M. 


Pas. 
No. 6. 
P.M. 


8 CO 
8.20 


6.30 
(;.47 
6.55 

7.28 
7.33 
8.16 
8.24 
8.50 
9.07 

9.2'; 

9.35 

9.4H 

10.15 

10.39 

11.15 

11.40 

12.14 

12.33 

12.57 

1.19 

1.57 

2.27 

2.32 

3.13 

8.35 

3.51 

4.3(1 

4.50 


"o'.is 

13.70 
27.15 

41.29 

51.24 
59.55 

73.00 

80.00 
97.00 
111.50 

133.90 

1.54.15 
164.00 
175.00 
186.00 
205.50 

223.20 

244.00 
255.90 
265. Ou 

286.00 


Lv Mexico (Colonia) Ar. 

Naucalpan 


408.89 
399.71 
394.61 

381.74 

367.60 

3.'j7.65 
349.34 

a35.89 

328.89 
311.89 
2f*7.39 

274.99 

258.99 
244.89 
233.89 
22^^.89 
203.39 

185.69 

164.89 
153.79 
143.89 

122.89 


8.10 

7.51 

7.43 

7.11 

7.06 

6.30 

6.22 

5.54 

5.34 

5.12 

5.04 

4.51 

4.24 

4.00 

3.24 

2.59 

2.25 

2.07 

1 43 

1.19 

12.32 

12.01 

11.55 

11.15 

10.53 

10.36 

9 .55 

9.35 


10.10 
9.51 
9.43 
9.11 
9.06 
8.30 
8.20 
7.52 
7.32 
7.10 

A.M. 


6.45 

6.25 


8 28 




6 17 


9.01 
9. OH 
9.50 
9.5H 
10.24 
10 41 


a"| ^■"^'O' JLv. 

ir.'t «"— ' Uv. 

J.I jalpa 

Lcrrna 


5.45 
5.40 
5.02 
4.55 
4.27 
4.07 


11.00 

A.M. 


^;;[ Toluca ]Ar. 

Palmillas 


3.45 

P.M. 







Del Rio 








I.xtlahuaca 

L-J...FIordeMana...|^r- 

BasRoco 










































Tultenango 












Soils 


• ••• 










Tepctongo 








Pateo 












Ar:} ^'•-^ti° "Ilv. 

Ziriziniaro 























N.13. 
M X. 


Tarandiicuao 


N.14. 
Mx. 


P.M. 

1.00 


Ar.-f A^^^"^^^--'^ -itv: 


P.M. 

12.35 






5.00 286.00 


Ac AMBARO 


92.00 


9.45 
9.12 
8.29 
8.13 
7.50 
7.28 
6.50 
6.23 
6.18 
6.09 
5.45 
A.M. 










5.35 




7j*dGro de la, Cumhre 






1 


317.50 ] Andocutin \ 


60.50 

53.00 
42.00 
28.00 
17.00 
15.00 
11.00 










6.20 










6.38 325.00 
7.081336.00 
7.43 350.00 
8.13 361.00 
8. 1!S 363.00 
8.281367.00 
9. 00 '378. on 


Hningo 










Qucrendaro 










Quirio 










Charo 










La Goleta 










Atapaneo 










Ar MORKLiA Lv. 








P.M. 




San Pedrito 








Zipimco 














Tlasasalca . ... 


















.... Pnrepero .... 


















Zatnora 


















- Pi'if'/.f'iiaro 
















! 


. 








1.30 
2.45 
3.22 




5.12 208.50 
5.49.318.00 
6 14 331 m 


San Cristobal 

Salvaticrra 

Cacalote. 


110. .39 
90.f;9 
77.39 

54.64 


9.14 
8.39 
8.12 
7.32 




12.05 
10.42 
10.05 


4.20 
7.05 




6.54 


354.25 


A;:f c«-^« \t: 


9.15 
7.20 











14 



MEXICATT GUIDE. 



MEXICAN NATIONAL RAILWAY— Continued, 
SoutJiern Division. 



Pas. 

No.5. 

P.M. 


Pas. 
No. 3. 

P.M. 


Pas. 
No.l. 
A.M. 


Kilos. 




Kilosv 


Pas. 
No. 2. 

P.M. 


Pas, 
No. 4. 

A.M. 


Pas. 
No.6. 

A.M. 


7 19 






359.61) 
36().90 
370.70 

378.00 

386.80 
400.70 
408.89 


Siinta Rita 


49.29 
41.99 
38.19 

30.89 

22.09 
8.19 
Lv. 






7 09 


7 37 


S. Juan de la Vega 

Soria 


6 53 


7 50 






6,42 


8 10 






Y^' j-...Chamaci:ero...-j^J; 
Binconcillo 






6 22 


8 20 










6 12 


8 40 











5.55 


9 23 






Begofia 


5.20 


9 45 






S. Migl d'AUende Ar. 


5 00 















Pas. 

No. 15. 

P.M. 


Kilos, 
from 
Me.K. 


El Salto Branch. 


Kilos, 
from 
El Sal. 


Pas. 
No.16. 

A.M. 


5.00 
5 13 


■'4!i9*" 

■'6"74'" 
13.30 
22.13 
29.71 
37.39 

47.82 

67.29 


Lv Mexico (Estacion de Colonia) Ar. 

Tacnba 


67.29 
63.10 
00.65 
53.99 
45.16 
32.58 
29.90 


9.26 
9.12 


5.15 
5 23 


Empalme de Tacuba 

Atzcapotzalco 


9.10 
9.05 


5 41 


.... Tlalnepantla 


8.45 


6.11 


Lecheria 


8.10 


6.35 


Cuautiilan 


7.45 


6 58 


1'eoloyucan 


7.22 


7.25 

7.40 
8 30 


Arif Huehuetoca \Y!,\ 

El Salto 


19.47 


6.55 
6.40 
6.50 











Northern Dinsion. 



Pas. 
No. 11. 

A.M. 


Kilos. 


Monterey and Saltillo Divisions. 


Miles. 


Pas. 
No. 10. 

P.M. 


7.00 
7.10 


■■"6 

■'*2 

19 

32 

49 

60 

73 

94 

117 

126 

138 

150 

162 


Lv Laredo Ar. 

Mexico Junction 


ib'.h 

18.6 
29 2 
36^0 
44.0 
57.1 
71.4 

8i!5 
91.9 


8.00 
7.50 


7.17 


Biio G-rande 


7.43 


7.25 


V Nuevo Laredo •] 


7.35 
7.30 
7.00 


7.30 
7.59 


Sanchez 


8.23 


Jarita 


6.36 


8.52 


Huisachito 


6.06 


9.14 


Camaron 


5.45 


9.36 


Rodriguez 


5.23 


10.15 


Mojina 


4.45 


10.57 


Lampazos 


4.03 


11,13 


Brazil 


3.46 


11.35 


Salome Botello 


3.25 


11.57 


. Golondrinas 


3.03 


12.18 


Huisache 


2.41 









GOING TO MEXICO. 



15 





MEXICAN NATIONAL SiklL^kY— Continued. 




Pas. 

No. 11. 

P.M. 


Kilos. 


Monterey and Saltillo Divisions. 


Miles. 


Pas. 
No. 10. 

P.M. 


12.35 

12.55 
1.07 


171 

176 
177 
190 
203 
213 
216 
231 
238 
257 
263 
265 

271 

273 
276 
279 
283 
304 
315 
324 
328 
340 
347 
357 
3»)5 
379 


i ' Bustamante -| 

Guadalupe 


105.0 

l68> 
116.8 
124.8 

132! 9 
142.2 
146.6 
158.4 
162.1 

167.1 

168.3 
170.2 
172.0 
174.6 
187.6 

262! 5 
210.0 
214.3 
220.5 
224.9 
234.0 


2.25 
2.05 
1.57 


1.10 


Villaldama 


1.55 


1 30 


Alamo 


1.30 


1.51 


Palo Blanco 


1.07 


2 09 


El Puerto 


12.48 


2 15 


La Cantera 


12.42 


2 40 


... . , .Morales 


12.14 


2 63 


... Salinas 


12.01 


3.25 


Tcpo 


11.25 


3 35 


Ramon Treviflo 


11.15 


3 39 


Topo Chico 


11.11 


3.50 
4.00 
4 04 


Lv.f MONTEREY ij^^;; 

Gonzalitos 


11.00 
10.50 
10.46 


4 10 




10.40 


4 16 


Leona 


10.34 


4 23 


Santa Catarina .... 


10.27 


5 00 




9.50 


5 25 


Soledad 


9.28 








5 52 


Rinconada 


9.00 








6 45 


Ojo Caliente 


8.15 


7.14 




7.54 


7 33 


Ramos Arispe 


7.40 


8 10 




7.10 


P.M. 




A.M. 



Pas. 
No.—. 

A.M. 


Kilos. 


Matamoras Branch. 


Miles. 


Pas. 

No.—. 
P.M. 


7.30 
7.55 




10 

14 

26 

38 

49 

61 

78 

85 

94 

109 

114 

120 


Lv Matamobas Ar. 

Rosita 





7.00 
6.37 


S.05 


Escondido 


6.2s 


8 35 


Capote 


6.00 


9 05 


.Ensefiada 


5.32 


9 33 


. . La Me.sa 


5.07 


10 10 


Ebano 


4.32 


10.45 


Corrales 


4.00 


11.02 


Reynosa 


3.44 


11.33 


. . Anzalduas 


3.17 


12 24 


ReynoBa Vieja 


2.38 


12.40 


Las Priet-as 


2.18 


1.00 


Ar. San Migukl Lv. 


2.00 


P.M. 




P.M. 



Zacaieccfs Section. 

Trains leave Zacatecas for Guadalupe (5 miles) 6.00. 7.00, 8.00, 9.00, 10.00, 
11.00 A.M.. 12.00 noon, 1.00, 2.00. 3.00, 4.00. 5.00. 6.00, 7.00, 8.00, 9.00 p.m. Re- 
tiirninR leave Guadalupe for Zacatecas 6.(0. 7.00. 8.00, 9.00,10.00, 11.00 a.m., 
12.00 iioon. l.GO, 2.00, 3.00,4.00, 5.00, 6.00, 7.00, 8.00 p.m. 



16 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 



w. 

o 
I— I 

H 
O 

o _ 



< 

O 

O 
I— ( 

M 



^ 



.5 =3 >> 



c3 O 2 



0° *" ^< .^ 

? ® ci JS 









ft " 



w 









«= !- ii o 



00 

►^ • 

c3 tc 

-a >> 



□a 



tc >> 

c £ -^ 



c3 

. DC -tJ 



O 



1^ t-i ^ 



tc 

ff CS 03 S 



^^ 



tc* Z: «t w 

»3 ^ 03 : 

t^ "C r3 "^ 



c3 C 


e3 


eg 


e3 


eJ 


^3 




S 


a 




!3 


e3 


.« 


,<" 


CO" 


OQ 


02 


H 


H 









t 2 



.73 cS 

^ CQ 

s I 

^ ijH OQ 

M to O 

« ^1 

be :3 

m +3 "^ 

t! «= c! 

•^ 'S -^^ 

M (u eS 

g a ^ 

c 2 2 

te S > 

J3 tn O 

'^ S* 

-S c 2 

•^ CQ o 

o ^ 



to S "S 

2 I -3 





to 




c 

c3 
CQ 


bO 

C 


d 






43 


tf| 


^ 


e: 


Pi 


« 


» 


g 


A 


■s 


00 


o 


p 




y 


c3 


^ 


4-> 

CQ 


tc 

a 


o 





q-i o 2 



I^S 



GOING TO MEXICO. 



17 



MEXICAN RAILWAY. 



fe 



A.M. 
4.30 
3.30 
2.57 
2.30 
2 10 
1.50 
1.15 



P.M. 

7.00 
6.00 
5.35 
5.10 
4.50 
4.30 
4.00 



U CO 



P.M. P.M 

4.00 8.00 263^ 
3.10 7.18 24:3 
2. 45 1 (i.58 23(i 
fi. 43 1 229 
6.33 2253^ 
(5.231221 V 
6.05 215;^ 



2.20 
1.58 
1.40 
1.15 



City of Mexico Time. 



Ar Mexico Lv. 

" Tepexpan " 

" .S. J. TeoLihuacan. " 

" Otumba " 

" La Palma '• 

'• Ometu.sco " 

" Yrolo " 



fi-S 


o 

a 


bo 




A.M. 


A.M 




6.15 


6.25 


32.5 


6.58 


7.35 


47.7 


7.16 


8.05 


55.2 


7.31 


S.-T) 


(•)1.3 


7.43 


1>.00 


67.5 


7..')8 


9.95 


77.3 


8.18 10.0u| 

1 1 






A.M. P.M. 
10.302.00 
11.20,3.15 
11.43 3.50 
12.06'4.20 
12. 24/1. .50 
12.43 5.20 

1.15,6.05 



12.15 

11.40 
10.57 
10.45 
10 05 
9.15 



5.36 

4.30 
3.20 
2.50 
2.03 
1.00 



8?.< 

26 ?i 
37 



Ar Yrolo 

*' Tlanalapa . 

" S. Agustin... 

" Tcpa 

" . . .Xochihuacane . 
Lv Pachuca 



Lv. 




(k 


14.0 


" 


28.0 


" 


34.0 


" 


43.0 


Ar. 


60.0 



8.. 30 
9.20 
10.05 
10.35 
11.17 
12.30 



2. CO 
2.45 
3.20 
3.45 
4.10 
5.00 



12.30 
11.35 



3.25 12.35 
2.38 11.40 
2.00 10.35 
1.10 9.45 
12.45; 9.15 



5.45 205?;^ 
5.15 193.M 
4.55 
4.30 
4.10 



186K 
176K 



Lv Apam 

*' Soltepcc 

" Guadalupe . . . 

Ar." [•••*Apizaco...-| 



Ar. 


02.7 


8.40 


10.55 


1.55 


" 


112.3 


9.02 


11.50 


2.40 


" 


112.4 


9.24 


12.30 


3.10 


Ar. 


139.3 


9.45 


1.05 


3.45 


Lv. 


10.10 


1.50 


4.10 



6.40 
7.20 



9.05 

8.2(1 
7.35 
7.00 
A.M. 



3.45 

3.00 
2.15 
1.40 

A.M. 



29J^ Ar Apizaco Lv. 



18?i 
7X 



Santa Ana. 

" Penzacola. 

Lv 1 Puebla . 



.Ar. 



16.0 
35.0 
47.0 



10.15 
10.40 
11.20 
11.45 

A.M. 



4.40 
5.05 
5.45 
6.10 

A.M. 



11 .58 8.28 

ll.lll 7.35 

10.20i 6.40 

9.30 5.40 

8.30 4.30 



3.40 161 
3.10 150K 
2.421223%: 
2.15126X 
1.45' ^11. 

l'ob'l07K 
12.30;i03 
11.431 963^ 



Ar. 



.Lv. 



6.50 



5.50 

5.10 

3.38 

3 08 

2.05 

12.55 

12.15 

11.40 

11.00 

A.M. 



12.30 

12.00 

11 .30 

10.55 

9.45 

9.15 

8.. 38 

7.45 

7.15 

6.43 

6.10 

A.M. 



11.20 

10.42 

10.25! 

10.00 

9.43 

9.22! 

9.00! 

8.24 

8.03, 

7.35! 

7.00 

6.39, 

6.12 

5.45 

A.M. I 



1»4X 
87 

82 

763^ 
70 ?< 
65?^ 
53>^ 
473^ 
393^ 
26 
19 
9X 



Huamantla 
*' .... San Marcos. ..." 

" Ilinconada " 

" San Andres " 

Ar.' } • * Esperanza -| ^l' 
'' . . Boca del Monte. . '' 

" Alta Luz '' 

" .Bota '• 

" Maltrata " 

" Nogales " 

^;;[..* Orizaba.. ]£- 

" Sumidero " 

" Fortin " 

'* Cordoba " 

" Atoyac " 

*' . . Paso del Macha. . " 

" Ciimaron " 

" Soledad " 

" La Purpra " 

" Tejcria " 

Lv Vera Cruz Ar. 



164.7 

182.0 
200.0 
220.5 

244.7 

251.3 
257.7 
266.5 
271.5 

283.7 

291.7 

300.3 
310.0 
318.0 
337.7 
347.7 
3K0.5 
381 .7 
393.0 
408.3 
423.7 



10.50 
11.15 
11.45 
12.15 
12.50 
1.25 
1.40 
2 05 
2.. 35 
2.53 
3.25 
3.40 
4.00 
4.18 
4.42 
5.02 
5.32 
5.57 
6.20 
6.53 
7.12 
7.37 
8.00 

P.M. 



3.40 
4.25 
5.15 
6.15 
7.15 



10.30 

ii.'25 
11.50 
12.30 
1.00 
1.50 
2.28 
2.50 
3.20 
3.50 
P.M. 



5.10 
5.52 
6.30 
7.20 
8.10 



11 30 
12.00 
12.30 
1.20 
2.20 
3.10 
3.55 
5.00 
5.25 
6,00 
6.40 

P.M. 



* Restaurant. 



18 



MEXICATiT GUIDE. 



MEXICAN 'EiklL'^KY— Continued. 



P.M. 


Distance 
in miles. 


Jalapa Branch. 


Distance 
in kilo- 
metres. 


A.M. 


4 25 




Ar * Vera Cruz Lv 

Tejeria 




5.30 


3 55 


9% 
16X 
29 
35 

40X 

623^ 


15.5 
26.5 
46.5 
56.6 

65.5 

78.0 

89.0 

100.0 

114.0 


5.30 


3 25 


Paso de S. Juan 


6.05 


1 25 


Paso de Ovejas 


8,05 


12.25 

11.50 

10.50 

9 40 


. Puente Nacional 

Ar:[ *Kinconado \^^-^ 

Plan del Rio 


9.25 
10.05 
10.55 
12.10 


8 50 


Cerro Gordo 


1.40 


8.05 


Dos Rios 


2.55 


7 00 


* Jalapa 


5.00 








A.M. 








P.M. 



* Restaurant. 
INTEROCEANIC RAILWAY. 



A.M. 


P.M. 


Distance 
in miles. 


Morelos Division. 
From San Lazaro. 


Distance 
in kilo- 
metres. 


A.M. 


P.M. 


9 40 


5.30 

4.50 

4.30 

4.05 

3.35 

3.05 

2.30 

2.00 

12.50 

11.10 

10.20 

9.00 




Ar Mexico . . . Lv. 

" .. .Los Reyes. .. " 

" Ayotla. ..." 

" ..La Compania. " 
"... .Tenango ..." 
" .. Amecameca.. " 

£;t 0.u,nba.J^J; 

" .. . Nepantla ..." 
" ...Yecapixtla... " 

" Cuantla " 

Lv. . . Yautepec . ..Xt. 




8.00 

8.50 

9.10 

9.35 

10.15 

10.50 

11.20 

11.50 

1.05 

2.15 

3.05 

4.05 


3.15 


8 50 




17.2 
24.4 
33.8 
46.6 
57.2 

69.6 

92.5 
119.3 
135.8 
158.2 


4.05 


8 20 




4 35 


7 50 




5.05 


7.15 
6.40 
6 00 




6.00 
6.40 
7.10 






































A.M. 


A.M. 








P.M. 


P.M. 


P.M. 

No. 4. 


P.M. 

No. 2. 


Distance 
in miles. 


Irolo Division. 
1 and 2, San Lazaro. 
3 and 4, Peralvillo, 


Distance 
in kilo- 
metres. 


A.M. 
No. L 


A.M. 
No. 3. 


10.20 
9.20 
8 15 


5.10 

4.35 

3.40 

3.15 

2.40 

2.10 

1.50 

1.35 

12.55 

12.30 

12.15 




Ar Mexico Lv. 

" .. .Los Reyes... " 

" Texcoco " 

" ..Tepetlaxtoc. " 
'• ..San Antonio.. " 

" Metepec " 

'• Otumba " 

" ...Soapayuca.. . " 

" Irolo " 

" . . San Lorenzo.. " 
" . .Calpulalpam.. " 

Lv La Luz . . . . Ar. 


"so^e"' 

41.5 

50.6 

63.4 

72.5 

80.8 

85.5 
100.6 
110.6 
119.6 
132.9 


6.30 

7.05 

8.00 

8.25 

9.00 

9.30 

9.55 

10.10 

10.50 

11.20 

11.35 


8.00 
8.45 
9.45 


7 45 




10.10 


7 00 




10.50 


6 15 




11.20 


5 45 




11.50 


5 20 




12.10 


4 20 




1.00 


3 45 




1.35 








3 00 




2.30 










P.M. 


P.M. 








A.M. 


P.M. 



HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. 19 

Coastwise Steam Lines. — Local agents should be 
coDsulted in regard to sailings, as the dates given below 
are liable to change. 

Vej^a Cruz and New Orleans, calling at Tuxpan and 
Tampico. Sailings every seventeen days. 

Progreso and Frontera, calling at Champoton and 
Carmen. Sailings irregular. 

Pacific Mail Steamship Co. Steamers leave New York 
on the 1st and 20th, and Panama on the 12th and 31st 
of every month. Steamers leave San Francisco on the 
1st and 15th of every month. On both up and down 
trips, calls are made at Acapulco, Manzanillo, San Bias, 
and Mazatlan. 

California and Mexican Steamship Co. Sailings month- 
ly from San Francisco (about the 6th of each month) 
to Mazatlan and return, calling at La Paz, Guaymas, 
Cabo San Llicas, Bahia de la Magdalena, and Ensenada 
de Todos Santos. 

Meodcan Steamship Co. Between Guaymas and Man- 
zanillo, calling at Altata, La Paz, Mazatlan, San Bias, 
and Chamela. Sailings weekly. 



n. HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. 
Passports. Circumstances may arise, of course, in 
which the protection afforded to a traveller in Mexico by 
a passport will be required ; but the chances are that 
the traveller for pleasure only, especially if his journey- 
iugs are confined to railway lines, will have no use what- 
ever for this ornamental but rather cumbrous document. 
American citizens taking up a residence in Mexico, and 
engaging in business there, or American citizens who 
expect to visit remote portions of the Republic, certainly 



20 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

should provide themselves with passports. Persons 
wishing to obtain passports can procure blank forms of 
application from the State Department, Washington. 
In writing for blank forms the applicant should declare 
whether he is a native citizen or a naturalized citizen, 
and must give his full name and post office address. His 
communication should be addressed : Department of 
State, Washington, D. C. ; and should be indorsed : 
Passport Division. 

Custom House Regulations. Practically the same 
rules are in force in the Mexican Custom House service 
as in oiu' own ; and they are applied in much the same 
way — save that the officials at El Paso del Norte, Vera 
Cruz, and Nuevo Laredo are far more civil and obliging 
than the officials at New York. Passengers are required 
to open their baggage for inspection, and if they have 
dutiable articles to declare them. The free list in- 
cludes : clothing for personal use, if not excessive in 
quantity ; articles worn or in use, as a watch, chain, but- 
tons, cane, etc. ; one or two fire-arms, with their accesso- 
ries, and one hundred charges ; each adult male passenger 
may bring in ninety-nine cigars, forty packages of cigar- 
ettes and haK a kilogramme (ly^ lbs. ) of snufl: or chew- 
ing tobacco. Professional men or artisans are permitted 
to bring in free the instruments or tools indispensable 
or most essential to the exercise of their profession or 
trade. No charge is made for examining baggage. The 
rules by which examination of personal baggage is regu- 
lated are ordered to be kept in a conspicuous place in 
the search room, printed in Spanish, English, French 
and German. Another, but very perfunctory examina- 
tion is made on entering the City of Mexico. 

Lunch Basket. For the traveller by rail a lunch 



HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. 21 

basket Is a necessary part of the outfit. A part of its 
stowing should be canned meats — Richardson & Rob- 
bins' canned chicken and chicken Uvers (not their canned 
game, which takes up too much room in proportion to 
the amount of food carried) are the best. If the party 
is large a canned ham may be added to the stock. A 
bottle of coffee extract and a spirit lamp will make the 
position of the traveller impregnable. Fruit and bread 
need not be carried, as they can be bought by the way. 
At Kansas City, however, a stock of fruit should be laid 
in sufficient to last three days. The lunch basket will 
be found very useful in Mexico in making excursions to 
the towns in the neighborhood of the capital, in few of 
which is it possible to obtain eatable food. 

Clothing. In making the journey to Mexico by sea, 
summer clothing will be required in crossing the Gulf, 
and in crossing the hot country of the coast. On the 
Mexican plateau clothing suitable to spring or fall will 
be required, and the most prudent underwear will be 
winter flannels. Overcoats and shawls will not often be 
required on the street by day, but they should be at 
hand in readiness to put on when churches or other 
buildings are entered, and for use in the evenings. It 
is a fact that in Mexico wrapping up is much more nec- 
essary in the house than out of doors. Even when a 
norther at Vera Cruz sends a chill across the mountains, 
the streets rarely are cold ; but at such times the houses 
frequently are very cold indeed. 

Pulque, Wine, Beer. Whenever pulque can be ob- 
tained, it should be used in preference to any other 
drink. It is thoroughly wholesome, and has a tendency 
to decrease the bilious habit that in many persons is in- 
duced by the altitude. As compared with the delicious 



22 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

pulque to be liad in the maguey region of Apam, the 
pulque sold in the City of Mexico deserves little praise. 
It should be drunk, however, from a sense of duty. 

Excellent wines may be bought in the City of Mexico, 
but the prices charged for them in the hotels and res- 
taurants are extortionate. Almost everywhere on the 
lines of railroad a very good native beer can be bought 
for a real the bottle — in the hotels of the City two reales 
are charged. It is a much better and purer article than 
the beer that is imported from the United States, and 
that is sold for from two to five times as much as the 
native brew. 

Fees. Better service can be had in Mexico, as in 
other parts of the world, by paying extra for it. The 
fees to servants, however, should be small. For some 
inscrutable reason, a Mexican servant who receives a 
large fee does his work badly — far more badly than if 
he had received no fee at all. Waiters at restaurants 
should not be given more than a medio at each meal ; 
chambermen at hotels an occasional real. It is custom- 
ary also to give coachmen a medio in addition to their 
regular fare. As a general rule, governing all but very 
exceptional cases, no casual fee should exceed a real. 

Church Visiting. In their own interest, as well as 
in the interest of abstract decency, visitors to churches 
should conduct themselves reverently while in such 
sacred edifices. A respectful stranger very frequently 
will receive a courteous attention, in being directed 
where to find what is most beautiful or curious, that as- 
suredly will not be accorded to strangers who are vul- 
garly noisy or vulgarly frank in their expressions of de- 
rision and contempt. Attentions of this sort frequently 
are volunteered, and are the more welcome because usu- 



MONEYS, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 23 



ally there is no one to be found in the churches to act as 
guide. When, by chance, the sacristan happens to be 
available, he should receive a fee of a real for his ser- 
vices. Persons who read Spanish will find their expedi- 
tions to churches materially aided by either of the church 
almanacs — the " Almanaque Catolico y Historico," or 
the "Almanaque Galvan." These may be bought for a 
trifle in the bookstores in the Calle del Coliseo Viejo. 



///. MEXICAN AND UNITED STATES MONEYS, 
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 

Money and Coinage. The relative value of Mexican 
and American money, being in part determined by the fluc- 
tuations of exchange current, cannot be precisely stated. 
As a rule, the Mexican dollar is quoted at between eighty 
and ninety cents ; usually between eighty-four and eighty- 
seven. A metric system of coinage was adopted some 
years ago, and stray five and ten cent pieces occasionally 
appear in circulation. But in naming prices the old 
system is in use in all shops, and everywhere among the 
common people. The half and quarter dollars in com- 
mon use are never spoken of as pieces of twenty-five or 
fifty centavos, but as quatro reales and dos (usually sound- 
ed do') reales: and sometimes by their formal names of 
toston and peseta. In ordinary small dealings the unit 
is the real : the price for a thing is tres (3) or diez (10) or 
veinte (20) reales, or whatever number of reales it may 
happen to be. In barterings with fruit or other small 
dealers centavos sometimes are mentioned ; out, even 
with these, prices usually are made in tlacos — the small- 
est coin of the old system, worth 1^ cents. In 1883 nickel 
coins of one, two, three and five centavos were uttered. 



24 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 



After the " nickel riots " of that year they were with- 
drawn. In the subjoined table the values of the several 
coins are expressed in Mexican dollars, reales, and cen- 
tavos. The gold coins practically are unknown except 
as denominations of value : 



Oiizade oro (gold ounce). =$16. 

Media onza de oro = 8. 

Pistola = 4. 

Escudo de oro = 2. 

Esciidito de oro = 1. 

Peso (.silver) , = 1. 



Toston (4 reales). ... =50 cts. 
Peseta (2 reales) .... =25 cts. 

Keal =12^ cts. 

Medio real = 6^ cts. 

Cuartilla (copper). ... =3 cts. 
Tlaco (copper) = li cts. 



Pending the settlement of the banking question, the 
more prudent course is to have letters of credit cashed 
in silver. In making journeys into the interior only sil- 
ver should be carried, as bank-notes suffer a considera- 
ble discount at points at all remote from that of their 
issue, or are refused. 

Measures. While the French metric system of 
measures has been adopted by the Republic of Mexico 
it has not come into popular use. In the shops goods 
are sold by the vara (33^ inches, nearly) and distances 
usually are reckoned by the legua (approximately 2.6 
miles). Lengths less than a vai^a usually are described 
as fractions of a vai^a, and distances less than a legua 
usually are described as fractions of a legua. The old 
measures are : ' 



Punto = -h linea 

Linea = iS? pulgada 

Dedo = 'A' vara 

Pulgada = iV pie 

Palmo = i vara , 

Pie = i^ vara =il. '' 

Vara = 2 feet, 9.3141 inches, or 2.784 feet. 

Cordel = 50 varas =137.50 " 

Legua = 100 cordels or 5,000 varas = 2,636 miles. 



0.0064 inch. 
0.0763 " 
0.687 " 
0.916 " 
j.ib inches. 



MONEYS, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 25 

The Mexican vara, the unit of this system, is about 
one-fourth of one per cent, longer than that of Burgos, 
the CastiUan standard measure, which was originally 
known as Solomon's pace — tradition telling that it is the 
length of the pace, or stride, taken by King Solomon in 
measuring off the site of the temple at Jerusalem. 

In square measure the vara also is the unit. An ap- 
proximate reduction of varas into acres may be made by 
dividing the number of varas by 5,646, rejecting the 
fractions. A legua of land, known also — because of its 
use for cattle-raising — as a sitio de ganada mayor, is a 
plot 5,000x5,000 varas square, and contains, approxi- 
mately, 4,400 acres. An hacienda, strictly, is a plot 
6,000 X 25,000 varas square, containing, approximately, 
22,000 acres, kfanega is a plot 276 x 184 varas square, 
containing, approximately, 8^ acres : it derives its name 
from ihefanega (nearly 2 bushels), the measure of grain 
necessary for its sowing. 

Weights. All heavyweights are estimated in arrohas 
(25 pounds), quintals (100 pounds), and cargas (300 
pounds). Kfanega also has the weight value of 140 
pounds. The smaller divisions of the scale are : the 
ochavo, one-eighth of an ounce ; the onza, ounce ; the 
marco, half pound ; the libra, pound. 

Kilometres and Miles. The metric system, being 
adopted officially, is used in official documents — though 
usually in conjunction with the old system. The only 
approach to popular use made of it is the custom of the 
railway companies to give upon their time-tables dis- 
tances in ky[p.y^|lpres. In view of this custom, the fol- 
lowing table sometimes will be found convenient in ap- 
proximating distances in kilometres and in miles. A 
m^tre is, exactly, 39.37079 inches. For purposes of ap- 



20 



MEXICAlSr GUIDE. 



proximate estimate it may be considered a yard and a 
tenth. A kilometre is, exactly, 0.62138 of a mile. For 
purposes of approximate estimate it may be considered 
five-eighths of a mile j upon which basis this table is 
prepared. 



Kilometres. 


Miles. 


Kilometres. 


Miles. 


Kilometres. 


Miles. 


1 


rs 


10 


GH 


100 


62 


2 


IH 


20 


12X 


200 


124 


3 


VA 


30 


19 


300 


186 


4 


2>^ 


40 


25 


400 


249 


6 


3 


50 


31 


500 


311 


6 


s% 


m 


37 


600 


373 


7 


4% 


70 


43^ 


700 


435 


8 


5 


80 


50 


800 


497 


9 


5^ 


90 


56 


900 


569 



IV. THE CITY OF 3IEXIG0. 

Baggage Express. An agent of the Express Central 
usually boards incoming trains at a short distance out 
from the Buena Vista station, and gives, in return for 
through baggage checks, the company's checks for city 
delivery. Although there is a regular tariff for this 
service, it is the part of prudence to arrive at a clear 
understanding, before the checks are exchanged, as to 
precisely what the cost of delivery will be. This func- 
tionary also will require the key of the piece to be de- 
livered, or, if several pieces are to be delivered, the key 
of any one piece in the lot, in order that the form of a 
custom house examination may be gone through with. 
The key may be given confidently, as the express com- 
pany is responsible for the contents of the piece. 

Hotels. In comparison with even second-class New 



THE CITY OF MEXICO. 27 

York hotels, the best hotels of Mexico make a poor 
showing. They are meagrely furnished ; their service is 
poor ; their prices are high. In many of them the bath 
that the arriving traveller wants immediately cannot be 
obtained, and even in those which possess bathing es- 
tablishments the baths are on the ground floor. To 
compass a pitcher of hot water in one's own room re- 
quires the outlay of a vast amount of vital energy and a 
fee to the chamberman of at least one real. Very fair 
service, and clean, comfortable rooms, will be found 
in the Hotel del Cafe Anglais, at the corner of the Cal- 
les Coliseo and Coliseo Viejo ; but this situation is de- 
cidedly noisy. In the Calle del Cinco de Mayo, an airy, 
handsome, quiet street, good rooms and passably good 
service can be had in the Hotel Comonfort or Hotel 
Gillow, both quiet little hotels. Good rooms and pass- 
able service can be had also in the Hotel San Carlos, at 
the corner of the Calles San Francisco and Coliseo Viejo, 
quite the heart of the town, and a |»lace from wliich the 
stir and bustle and frequent military parades on the Calle 
de San Francisco may be seen to advantage. The Hotel 
Yturbide, the largest hotel in the city, also fronts on 
San Francisco. If this hotel is selected, the traveller 
should ask for one of the new rooms, opening on the 
Calle de Gante ; for these, while they do not command a 
view of anything in particular, are large, airy and clean. 
All of these hotels, excepting the Comonfort, have res- 
taurants attached to them. The Comonfort is directly 
across the street from the restaurant of the Gillow. At 
all the hotels a considerable reduction in pAje'*can be 
had by hiring a room or rooms for a .period of fifteen 
days or a month. To obtain this reduction the bargain 
must be made clearly in advance. 



28 MEXICATT GUIDE. 

Restaurants. Food and lodging are distinct parts 
of tlie Mexican hotel system, though by an especial 
agreement they can be combined. Having lodgings in 
one hotel does not interfere in any way with getting 
meals at the restaurant belonging to another. At all the 
restaurants a table d'hote is served twice daily — between 
12 M. and 3 p.m. for breakfast, and between 6 and 8 p.m. 
for dinner, these hours not being very rigidly observed. 
The first breakfast, coffee and bread, is served from 
7 A.M., and to get it at an earlier hour very emphatic 
orders must be given over night. In lieu of bread and 
coffee, however, a substantial breakfast can be obtained 
by special order. At the Cafe Anglais, where providing 
for American wants is made rather a specialty, the solid 
breakfast can be obtained with comparatively little fric- 
tion ; and regular boarders at this place can arrange to 
take their light meal, bread and coffee or bread and 
soup, in the middle of the day, and thus obtain their 
heavy breakfast without extra charge. The Cafe An- 
glais provides quite as good food as will be found at any 
of the tables d'hote, and its prices (1 real for first break- 
fast, 5 reales for second breakfast, 5 reales for dinner ; or 
$30, Mexican money, a month) are decidedly lower than 
those of any of the first-class restaurants. As compared 
with the handsome rooms of the restaurant of the Hotel 
Yturbide, or the Restaurant Concordia, at either of 
which the charges for meals are from a dollar upward, 
the quarters of the Cafe Anglais are not brilliant, 
though its table^ervice and Unen are admirably clean. 
The Concordia, at the corner of the Second Plateros 
and San Jose el Real, is a very fair restaurant, where a 
reasonably good dinner, reasonably well servecJ, can be 
ordered either in the public room or in a private apart- 



THE CITY OF MEXICO. 29 

ment. It is especially celebrated for its pastry and ices. 
Its prices, relatively, are high. The tivolis, or garden 
restaurants, in the suburb of San Cosme and at La Cas- 
taileda — on the tramway to Tacubaj-^a — are peculiarly 
pleasant institutions of Mexico. Excellent breakfasts 
are served — at from $2 a cover upward — in rustic bow- 
ers or closed cabinets standing in charming gardens. 
For a breakfast with ladies the tivoli of San Cosme 
probably will be found most satisfactory — though ladies 
also may be taken to the Eliseo and La Castaneda. At 
all the restaurants the charges for wines and malt liquors 
are extortionate. Both as a sanitary measure and as a 
measure of economy travellers will do well to drink pulque. 

Lodgings. So far as saving money is concerned, 
there is little to be gained by hiring private lodgings, 
unless they are required for a term of several months. 
The charges for furnished rooms, in desirable parts of 
the town, are but little less than the monthly charges 
of the hotels ; and while unfurnished rooms can be had at 
comparatively low rates, the cost of furnishing them is 
exorbitant when judged by an American standard. Per- 
sons intending to pass a whole winter in Mexico, how- 
ever, can effect a considerable saving by hiring unfur- 
nished rooms and furnishing them, even at a heavy out- 
lay ; for unfurnished rooms rent for less than half the 
cost of furnished rooms, and furniture usually can be 
disposed of at no great loss. Should rooms be hired, 
either furnished or unfurnished, much caution should be 
exercised. Many houses in Mexico that to a foreigner 
will seem absolutely respectable will prove to b^.by no 
means desirable places of abode. 

Boarding-houses. The equivalent of the American 
boarding-house is the casa de huespedes. There are many 



30 MEXICAlSr GUIDE. 

of these in the City of Mexico, many of them very com- 
fortable, and, relatively, moderate in their charges. 
For an American, however, the cooking is likely to prove 
a decided drawback upon the otherwise obvious merits 
of these establishments. 

Baths. Of the many clean and well-ordered baths in 
the city, the most conveniently situated — for the use of 
residents of any of the central hotels — are the Banos del 
Factor in the Calle del Factor ; the Banos de Vergara, in 
the Calle de Vergara, and the baths in the Yturbide Hotel. 
The street cars of the Circuito de Banos run direct to 
excellent baths near the Paseo de la Keforma. Passengers 
on these cars can buy bath tickets from the conductors, 
in which case the ride to the bath is free. It is perfectly 
proper for ladies to go to any of the baths here named. 

Servants. A good Mexican servant is a very good 
article of servant indeed — and is about as rare as a good 
servant of any other nationality. Men servants can be 
hired for from $12 to $20 (Mexican money) a month ; 
$15 a month being fair average wages. Women ser- 
vants — much more difficult to procure — are paid a little 
less. In hiring servants, references must be insisted 
upon, and must be verified. 

Interpreters. An interpreter and guide (who should 
not be paid more than $2 a day) usually can be pro- 
cured through the proprietor of any of the hotels. 

Libraries. The Biblioteca Nacional (which see) is a 
free library, open daily, feast-days excepted, from 10 a.m. 
to 5 P.M. The Biblioteca de Betlemitas (which see) also 
is a free library, open daily from 9 a.^. to 1 p.m., and 
(feast days excepted), from 3 to 7 p.m. In the Third San 
Francisco (Profesa) there is an excellent French cir- 
culating library, in which also are a few ancient Eng- 



THE CITY OF MEXICO. 31 

lish novels. In the Callejon of Santa Clara are two Span- 
ish circulating libraries. 

Stationery. It is well to take an ample provision of 
stationery to Mexico, the cost of paper of all sorts being 
very high in the Republic. Tolerably good stationery 
may be bought in the papeleria opposite to the church 
of the Profesa in the Third San Francisco. 

Newspapers. The only daily paper published in 
English in the city is the Two Republics. This will be 
found serviceable in its presentment of current railway 
time-tables and official director}^, as well as in its hints 
of Mexican and general news. The Mexican Financier, a 
weekly publication in Spanish and English, deals broad- 
ly with national and international subjects — mainly from 
the standpoint of commerce — and gives a clear present- 
ment of the general drift of Mexican affaii's. Its especial 
mission is the fostering of international commerce and 
the development of the resources of the Republic. As 
its circulation is among Mexican merchants and manu- 
facturers it has done much toward introducing American 
machinery and methods into Mexico, and toward secur- 
ing to the United States a very profitable Mexican trade. 
El Diario OJicial, the official daily organ of the Federal 
Government, publishes a monthly summary of events 
in English that will be found of much interest. Le 
Trait d' Unioyi is a daily published in French. A number 
of daily, weekly, and monthly journals are published in 
Spanish. Indeed, in proportion to its population, the 
City of Mexico has almost as many newspapers as New 
York. A new and very important departure in Mexican 
journalism is the publication of little four-page news- 
papers, about six by eight inches square, which are sold 
for a centavo and which circulate largely among the low- 



32 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

er classes — as the water-carriers and street porters. 
That men of this class are supporting newspapers is a 
fact full of significance for the future of the Kepublic. 

Postal Regulations. By the recent change in the 
postal laws of Mexico (made effective September 15, 
1885), letter rates to the United States and Canada have 
been reduced to five cents for each half ounce or fraction 
thereof. The same rate is in force to Cuba and Euro- 
pean countries in the Postal Union for letters sent by 
the steamers of the Compania Trasathintica Mexicana, or, 
to Cuba, by the steamers of the Alexandre Line. (Let- 
ters to go by these lines must be so indorsed.) For 
Europe, excepting as above, the Postal Union rate is ten 
cents for each half ounce or fraction thereof. The rates 
on printed matter, subject to like limitations, are one 
cent per ounce and three-quarters, or fraction thereof, 
to the United States, Canada, Cuba, and Europe ; and 
two cents, excepting by the lines named. The limit of 
weight for printed matter is 4,4 pounds (2 kilogrammes). 
Letters and packages may be registered on payment of 
a fee of ten cents. The rate on letters for points within 
the Eepublic of Mexico is ten cents for each half ounce 
or fraction thereof. 

There is a delivery by carriers in the Cit}^ of Mexico, 
and letters directed to any hotel will be promptly re- 
ceived. If directed simply to the City of Mexico they 
must be called for at the general post office (in northern 
wing of the Palacio Nacional, fronting on the Calle del 
Arzobispado). Within an hour or two after the arrival 
of the mails, lists of all letters received are hung out in 
front of the general delivery windows, in the rear of the 
main court, opposite the entrance. Each list is dated, 
and each letter is numbered. In applying for a letter it 



THE CITY OF MEXICO. 33 

is necessary to give the date of the list and the number of 
the letter. To avoid unnecessary complications witli the 
Spanish tongue, an. effective plan is to write these neces- 
sary facts, together with the name of the inquirer, upon 
a card and hand the card to the mail clerk. In addition 
to the daily lists, several of which hang together, with 
the latest outermost, there are lists of letters remaining 
unclaimed at the end of each month. The lists are ar- 
ranged alphabetically, but as a measure of precaution 
it is well to go through the entire list of each day. 
Similar rules of delivery obtain at all Mexican post- 
offices. In the small post-offices of the interior the sec- 
tion "E" in the list always should be examined, as the 
suffix "Esq." not infrequently is converted into a proper 
name. To insure prompt despatch of letters for the 
United States from the City of Mexico, they should be 
mailed in the general post office before 5 p.m. 

Telegraph Offices. Cable to the United States and 
Europe, via Galveston, corner Second San Francisco and 
Santa Clara. Overland to the United States, and thence 
to Europe, office of the Mexican Central Railway, First 
San Francisco (Plazuela de Guardiola). For points on 
the southern division of the Mexican National Railway, 
Calle Cadena, No. 12, entrance on the Jardin del Cole- 
gio de Nifias. For points on Interoceanic (Morelos, 
Irolo) Railway, Calle de San Agustin, No. 14. For 
points on the Vera Cruz Railway, Guardiola, No. 11. 
Government Telegraph office, lines to all important 
points in the Republic, Callejon de Espiritu Santo, No. 5. 

Railway Stations. Mexican Central, Buena Vista; 
Vera Cruz Railway, Buena Vista ; Mexican National, 
Colonia ; Interoceanic San L&zaro and Peralvillo. 

Railway Offices. Mexican Central, Buena Vista 



34 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

(ticket office in First San Francisco : Plazuela de Guar- 
cliola) ; Vera Cruz, Buena Vista ; Mexican National, 
Calle de Cadena, No. 12 (ticket office in First San Fran- 
cisco) ; Interoceanic, Calle de San Agustin, No. 14. 

Diligence Lines. Office in the rear of the Hotel 
Yturbide (First Calle de Independencia). 

Express Oflflces. Wells, Fargo & Co., and Central 
(local), Calle de Santa Isabel, No. 9J. 

Cargadores (porters). At all the street corners in 
the central portion of the city porters will be found who 
for a small sum will carry luggage or other matter from 
one part of the city to another. As a class they are re- 
nowned for their trustworthiness. 

Hackney Coaches. There are four classes of hack- 
ney coaches, commanding four rates of fare : "White flag, 
50 cents the hour or trip ; Ked flag, 75 cents the hour or 
trip ; Blue flag, $1 the hour or trip ; Green flag, $1.50 
the hour or trip. These prices hold good between 6 a.m. 
and 9 p.m., before and after which hours the prices are 
doubled. The prices are doubled also on feast days. 
The white flag coaches are very dirty and are to be 
shunned. The red flag coaches are quite as good as the 
average of hackney coaches in New York. The green 
and blue flag coaches — between which there is no ap- 
preciable difference — are as good as hackney coaches 
can be. Each coachman is compelled to carry, and to 
show upon demand, his tariff of charges. If any diffi- 
culty arises in regard to fares it usually can be settled 
by an appeal to a policeman ; and policemen, by a mira- 
cle that only the municipal governments of Mexico can 
work, usually are available when an appeal is to be made 
to them. Should the policeman prove unequal to the 
situation, an equitable adjustment always can be secured 



THE CITY OF MEXICO. 35 

by driving to the office of the General Manager, on the 
south side of the Plaza Mayor. 

Saddle-Horses. There are several good livery stables 
in the City of Mexico from which saddle-horses can be 
obtained. The usual rate is about $3 for a morning's ride. 

Boats. See Viga Canal. 

Street Railways. By a judicious use of the many 
street railways in the city it is possible to go to or from 
almost any desired point. On the narrow-guage lines 
the fare is a medio (six and a quarter cents), and the 
passenger is entitled to a transfer ticket that is good 
on the day of issue. On the broad-gauge lines the 
first-class fare is a medio to any point within the bar- 
riers. On all the broad-guage lines first, and second- 
class cars are run. 

Suburban Tramways. These Hnes are admirably 
managed ; the service is punctual, the running time ex- 
cellent, and the first-class cars clean. 

San Angel (via Chapultepec, Tacubaya, and Mixcoac). 
Cars leave the Plaza Mayor (west side) and San Angel 
simultaneously, at 6 a.m., and leave every 80 minutes 
afterward, except on Sundays, when they leave every 40 
minutes. Fare, first class, 25 cents ; second class, 12^ 
cents. 

Atzcapotzalco (via Popotla — the village in which is the 
Noche Triste tree — and Tacuba). Cars leave west side 
of the Plaza Mayor and Atzcapotzalco simultaneously, 
at 6 A.M., and every hour afterward until 8 p.m. Fare, 
first class, 12^ cents ; second class, 6^ cents. 

Tlalpam (via San Mateo, where connection is made for 
Churubusco, Coyoacan, the Pedregal, and San Angel). 
Cars leave south side of the Plaza Mayor and Tlalpam 
simultaneously, at 6, 7.30, 9, 10.30 a,m., 12 m., and 2, 3.30, 



36 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

5, and 6.30 in the afternoon. Fare, first class, 31 cents •, 
second class, 18 cents. Eare to San Mateo, first class, 
18 cents. To Coyoacan, 25 cents. To San Angel, 31 
cents. 

Guadalupe. Cars leave north side of the Plaza Mayor 
at 5 A.M., and run every half hour till 1.30 p.m., and at 
the same interval from 2.45 p.m. to 7.45 p.m. Cars leave 
Guadalupe every half hour from 5.15 a.m. to 1.45 p.m., and 
at the same interval from 2.30 to 8.30 p.m. Fare, first 
class, 12^ cents ; second class, Q)\ cents. 

Tacubaya (via Chapultepec, whence a branch line 
leads to the cemetery of Dolores and near to Molino del 
Rey). Cars leave the west side of the Plaza Mayor 
every twenty minutes from 5.20 a.m., to 6 p.m. and every 
half hour thereafter to 9 p.m. ; leave Tacubaya every 
twenty minutes from 6.10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., and every 
half hour thereafter to 9 p.m. Fare, first class, 12|- cents ; 
second class, 6|- cents. 

Mexican Government Officials. The offices of the 
several officers of the Mexican Government named be- 
low are in the Palacio Nacional, on the east side of the 
Plaza Mayor. 

President of the Republic : General Porfirio Diaz. 
Audiences from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily (Wednesdays ex- 
cepted). Persons intending to call on the President 
should leave their cards with the Adjutant at the Palace. 

Secretary of the Interior: Manuel Romero Rubio. 
Office hours from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Secretary of the Treasury : Manuel Dublan. Office 
hours 9 A.M. to 1 P.M., and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

Secretary for Foreign Affairs : Ignacio M. Mariscal. 
Office hours from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m., and from 3 p.m. to 

6 P.M. 



THE CITY OF MEXICO. 37 

Minister of Justice and Public Instruction : Joaquin 
Baranda. Office houi's 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Secretary of War and Marine : General Pedro Hino- 
josa. Office hours from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Secretary of Public Works, Colonization, Industry, and 
Commerce [Ministerio de Fomento) : General Carlos Pa- 
checo. Office hours 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fernandez Leal is 
Subsecretary. 

Presentation to Covernment Officials. Although 
any person may call, during the hours specified, upon 
any of the officials named above, a more seemly mode of 
procedure for American citizens is to be presented in form 
by the American Minister. In the case of any American 
of good standing, and coming properly accredited, no 
difficulty will intervene in the way of the presentation. 

Foreign Legations. Nearly all of the great, and 
several of the minor, powers maintain diplomatic repre- 
sentatives in the City of Mexico. 

The United States : Minister Plenipotentiary and 
Envoy Extraordinary, the Hon. Henry R. Jackson. Sec- 
retary of Legation, Jose^oh L. Morgan. Office of the 
Legation and residence of the Minister, Avenida Hum- 
boldt (late residence of President Diaz). 

Consul-General, James W. Porch (appointed Decem- 
ber, 1885). 

Great Britain : Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy 
Extraordinary, Sir Spencer St. John (absent on leave). 
Charge dAffaires, G. E. B. Jenner. Office of the Lega- 
tion, Calle de San Diego, No. 4. 

Consul-General, Lionel Garden, Calle de San Diego, 
No. 4. 

Germany : Minister Resident, Baron von Waecker 
G otter, Jardin de Buena Vista, No. 2. 



38 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Consul, Pablo Kosidowsky, Capuchinas, No. 7. 

France : Secretary, Count Kene Gaston de la Marliere, 
Avenida Juarez and Calle de Ex-Acordada. 

Spain : Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraor- 
dinary, Don Guillermo Crespo. Jardin de Buena 
Vista. 

Italy : Minister Resident, Com. G. B. Viviani, Portillo 
de San Diego, No. 2. 

Belgium : Minister Resident, Baron Frederic Delman, 
Rivera de Sta Maria, Fourth Calle de Narranjo, No. 4. 

Costa Rica : Minister Resident, Don Manuel A. Cam- 
pero, First Calle de San Francisco. 

Guatemala and Honduras : Minister Plenipotentiary 
and Envoy Extraordinary, Don Manuel Dardon, Calle de 
Rosales. 

Protestant Churches. Including the several mis- 
sion churches (in which services are held in Spanish) 
there are ten Protestant churches in the City of Mexico. 
Services in English are held as follows : 

Episcopal. Christ Church, Calle de Gante, No. 3. 
Every Sunday, at 11 a.m. 

Methodist Episcopal. Trinity Church, Calle de Gante, 
No. 5. Rev. John W. Butler, Pastor. Preaching every 
Sunday at 10.15 a.m. Prayer meeting every Friday at 
7.30 P.M. Sunday-school, 9.15 a.m. 

Union Protestant Congregation. Calle de San Juan de 
Letran, No. 12. Service every Sunday at 10.30 a.m. 
Prayer meeting every Friday at 7.30 p.m. Sunday- 
school and Bible class every Sunday from 9.15 to 10.15 

A.M. ^ 

Church of Jesus in Mexico (see Church of San Fran- 
cisco). Services, usually in Spanish, every Sunday. 



THE STREETS OF MEXICO. , 39 



V. STREETS OF THE CITY OF MEXICO. 

Street Nomenclature. Strangers are not a little 
confused by the custom that obtains of giving, in most 
cases, a separate name to each block, and of speaking of 
each block as a separate street (or, when a street has the 
same name for several consecutive blocks, of distinguish- 
ing these blocks as first, second, third, and so on) ; and 
of numbering the houses in each block separately. As 
this illogical arrangement makes a specific address by 
street and number of very little use to a stranger, the 
following list of streets — arranged alphabetically, with 
reference by letter to the section of the accompanying 
map in which each street will be found — is a necessary 
portion of the present work. The abbreviation pte., pre- 
fixed to the names of many of the streets, signifies puente 
(bridge), and refers to the fact that at one time there 
was within the block so named a bridge crossing a canal. 
The other abbreviations used in the following list are : 
cte. for cuadrante ; cer. for cerrado ; en. for callejon ; 
plaz. for plaza or plazuela ; calz. for calzada ; rinc. for 
rinconada ; av. for avenida ; esp. for espalda ; est. for 
estampa. The many sacred names given to streets are de- 
rived, as a rule, from the names of churches or convents 
which stood, or are still standing, upon the streets to which 
their titles by a perfectly natural process have been con- 
veyed. The honest objection on the part of many Prot- 
estants to these names must be lessened by supplying 
the implied qualification that every Mexican very well 
understands. The street of the Holy Ghost is the street 
of the Church of the Holy Ghost — and the abbreviation 



40 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 



is used in much, the same way that the name Trinity 
Buildings is used in New York. 



Aduanapte V 

Aguila J, K 

Agustin , V 

Alameda , , , I 

Alamedita P 

Alamo A 

Alconedo E. 

Alegria O 

Alfaro T,V 

Alhondiga O 

Altuna J 

Alvarado pte G 

Amargura J, L 

Amor de Dios O 

Ancha E 

Andalicio O 

Angel T, V 

Antonio en E 

Apartado L 

Aranda en T 

Arbol en V 

Arbol plaz V 

Arcos de Belen E, S 

Arco de San Agnstin .... V 

Armando en N 

Arquiteetos F 

Arsinas L 

Arteaga C 

Artes Q, E 

Ave Maria O 

Ave Maria en. ... , V 

Ave Maria plaz O 

Ayuntamiento E 

Azteeas E 

ArzobisiDado M 

Bajos de Porta Cceli.M, V 

Bajos de S. Agustin V 

Balvanera V 

Balvanera, est. de M, V 

Balvanera, rejas de M 



Balderas I 

Basilisco en J 

Beata , N 

Belen, Areos de E, S 

Belen plaz S 

Berdeja J 

Berdeja en J 

Betlemitas en K 

Bilboa en M 

Blaneo pte E 

Blanqnillo pte X 

Bosque E 

Bucareli, Paseo de E 

Buena Muerte V 

Buena Vista plaz G 

Cabezas en W 

Cacahnatal X 

Cacahnatal ealz Y 

Cadena O 

Cadena K 

Caler T 

Callejnela en M 

Calvario I 

Calzada de Cacahnatal . , Y 
Oalzada de Campo Flori- 

do U 

Calzada de Chapultepec . S 
Calzada de la Escnela de 

Artes A 

Calzada de Guadalupe . E 
Calzada de la Haeienda de 

la Teja Q 

Calzada de Invatidos .... F 
Calzada de la Peniten- 

eiaria E 

Calzada de la Piedad. ... S 
Calzada del Eaneho de 

Casa Blanco Q 

Calzada de S. Antonio 

Abad W 



STREETS OF THE CITY OF MEXICO. 



41 



Calzacla cle Sta. Maria. . , J 

Calzada de San Rafael . . F 

Calzada de San Cosmo . . F 

Camarones en T 

Camelia A, C 

Camilito J 

Campo Florido calz U 

Candelaria plaz R 

Candelaria plaz P 

Candelarita en R 

Caneria de S. Cosme F 

Cauoa K 

Cantaritos N 

Capueliinas M 

Carbajal E 

Carmen pte L 

Carretones en X 

Carretones pte W 

Carrizo en J, D 

Casa Blanca F 

Cazuela en M 

Cedaceros en. (2) U 

Cipr6s F 

Cerbatana L 

Cerca de S. Domingo. . . L 

Cerea de S. Lorenzo .... J 

Cerrada C 

Cerrada de Jesus V 

Cerrada de Necatitlan ... W 
Cerrada del Parque de la 

Moneda M,0 

Cerrada S. Miguel V 

Cerrada Sta. Teresa M 

Chapultepee ealz S 

Clianeque X 

Cliapitel de Monserrate. . V 

Cliavarria O 

Cliiconautla L 

Cliinampa rinc W 

Chinampa en H 

Chiquihuiteras T 

Chiquis O 

Chirivitos pte E 

Chopo A 

Ciegos X 



Cineo de Mayo av K 

Cineuenta Siete (57) .... K 

Clerigo pte r> 

Coeheras L 

Coeonepan Z 

Colegio de Ninas K 

Colegio de Ninas plaz ... K 
Colegio de San Juan 

Letran K 

Colegio de las Inditas ... N 

Coliseo K 

Coliseo Viejo K 

Colon I 

Colonia de los Arquitec- 

tos F 

Consuelo en O, X 

Colorado pte X 

Comonfort pte J) 

Compuerta de S. Tomas . X 

Coneepeion E 

Concepeion plaz J 

Coneordia plaz L 

Condesa en K 

Corazon de Jesus V 

Corchero V 

Cordobanes M 

Corona C 

Corpus Cristi J, K 

Correo Mayor pte M 

Costado de Ex-Acordada. I 

Coyote N 

Cniees en O, X 

Cruz Verde X 

Cuadrante de Sta. Cata- 

rina Martir L 

Cuadrante de S. Miguel . V 
Cuadrante de S. Sebas- 
tian N 

Cuadrante de Soledad do 

Sta. Cruz P 

Cuajomulco en I 

Cuea C 

Cuevas X 

Cuervo pte L, N 

Curtidores pte X 



43 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 



Damas T 

Damas en K, T 

Danza en X 

Dallas F 

Degollado av 

Degollado en C 

Degollado plaz I 

Delieias .E, T 

Diablo en U 

Dieguito en Y 

Dolores . K 

Dolores en J 

Donate Guerra R 

Doneeles M 

Don Juan Mannel V 

Don Toribio T 

Don Toribio en T 

Eliotrope A 

Embareaderos X 

Empedradillo M 

Encarnaeion L 

Esealerillas M 

Eselavo K 

Eseobillena O 

Eseretoria en L 

Escobedo C 

Eseondida T 

Eseuela de Artes ealz. . . A 

Espalda de Jesns Maria. O 

Espalda de S. Diego .... I 
Espalda de San Juan de 

Dies I 

Espalda de San Lorenzo. J 

Espalda de la Merced ... O 
Espalda de la Misericor- 

dia J 

Espalda de Sta. Teresa.. O, N 

Espantados en E 

Espiritn Santo K 

Espiritu Santo pte K 

Esquiveles Comonfort 

pte D 

Estaeas N 

Estampa de Balvanera .M, V 



Estampa de la Merced . . X 

Estampa de Eegina T 

Estanco de las Muje- 

res E, J, L 

Estaneo de los Hombres. J,L 

Estanquillo en E 

Ex- Acordada, costado de. I 

Factor K 

Ferrocarril en D 

Eierro pte X 

Elameneos M 

Elores, Portal de las M 

Florida N 

Fernando en V, X 

Fresno A 

Gachupinescn J 

Gallos en V 

Gallos X 

Gallos pte K 

Gante K 

Garrapata V 

Garavito pte Z 

Garavito en Z 

Garita , E 

Garita de Juarez G 

Garita del Nino Perdido. U 

Garita de Nonoalco A 

Garita de Peralvillo E 

Garita de San Cosme ... F 

Garita de San Lazaro ... H 

Garita de Vallejo B 

Garrote I 

Gerdnimo V 

Giron en L 

Golosas en L 

Gomez Parias H 

Grocolitos en H 

Groso en X 

Guadalupe E 

Guadalupe calz E 

Guardiola plaz K 

Guerras -pie J 



STREETS OF THE CITY OF MEXICO. 



43 



Guerrero av C, G 

Guerrero, Jardin G 

Guerrero pte Z 

Hacienda de la Teja 

calz Q 

Hidalgo G 

Higuera X 

Hombres Illustres av . G, I, L 
Hospicio del Amor de 

Dios O 

Hospicio de Pobres I 

Hospicio de S. Nicolas . . O 

Hospital de Jesus V 

Hospital Real T 

Huacalco I 

Humboldt av C, H, E 

Ignacio T 

Ildef onso L 

Independencia K 

Inditas, Colegio de N 

Indio Triste M 

Industria F 

Invatidos calz F 

Isabel, Sta K 

Isabel, Sta. en K 

Itui-bide I, G 

Jardin de San Fran- 
cisco K 

Jardin Guerrero G 

Jardin Lopez J 

Jardin, Plazuela de J 

Jardin del Zdcalo M 

Jazmin A 

Jesus V 

Jesus cer V 

Jesus pte V 

Jesus plaz V 

Jesus, Hospital de V 

Jesus Maria O 

Jesus Maria esp O 

Jesus Maria pte O 

Jos€ de Gracia V 



Joya V 

Juan Carbonero pte K 

Juan Carbonero plaz .... J, H 

Juanico en N 

Juan J. Baz R 

Juan J. Baz plaz X 

Juarez 

Juarez, Garita de G 

Jurado X 

Junio 21 D 

Ladrillera Z 

Laga J 

Lagaiiijas N 

Lagunilla en J 

Lecheras en O 

Lecumberri en N 

Leguisamo L 

Lefia i)te O 

Lerdo M 

Lerdo av C, H 

Limon en O 

Lopez K 

Lopez en X 

Lopez, Jardin de J 

Loreto plaz N 

Luna D 

Machincuepa O 

Madrid plaz I 

Magnolia F, G, H 

Magueyitos en H 

Manco en T, U 

Manito X 

Manrique K 

Manzanares en O 

Mara villas O 

Mariseala pte K 

Marquezote O 

Matadero W 

Mayo 15 D 

Medinas L 

Meleros M 

Mercaderes, Portal de . . M 

Mercado D 



44 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 



Mercado plaz A 

Merced O 

Merced, esp. de O 

Merced, est. de X 

Merced, Puerta falsa de . . X 

Merced jote O 

Mesones T,V 

Migueles V, X 

Miguel Lopez D 

MigTielito en O 

Mil Maravillas en K 

Mina G,H 

Mirador de la Alameda . , K 

Mirto F 

Misericordia J 

Misericordia, esp. de J 

Misericordia pte J 

Mixcalco O 

Mixcalco plaz O 

Moctezuma av G, H 

Moneda M 

Monserrate, Chapitel de . V 

Molino pte Y 

Monstruo N 

Montealegre M 

Monte Pio Viejo L, N 

Monterilla M, V 

Montero plaz J 

Monton X 

Monton en X 

Moras L 

Morelos plaz I 

Moscas O 

Mosqueta F, G, H 

Muerto en L 

Muguiro en N 

Munoz X 

Nahuatlato X 

Naranjo en A 

Nava en U 

Necatitlan V,W 

Necatitlan cer W 

Nino Perdido, or Piedad . U 

Nino Perdido, Garita de . U 



Nonoalco, Garita de A 

Nopalito D 

Nopalito en E 

Norma en I 

Norte F 

Nueva I 

Nuevo Mexico R 

Ocampo M.V 

Ocampo G 

Olivido en X 

Olivo (2) A 

Olivocn V,X 

011a en M 

Olmedo V, X 

Olmo A 

Organo en D 

Ortega T 

Pacheco X 

Pacheco en X 

Pacheco plaz O, X 

Pacliito X 

Padre Lecuona en L 

Paja V 

Pajaritos en T, U 

Palma M 

Palma X 

Palma en X 

Palma esp , Z 

Palma plaz X 

Palomares plaz X 

Pane B 

Panetas T 

Panteon X 

Papas en J 

Parados L 

Parque del Conde V 

Parque de la Moneda cer . O 

Paseo Nuevo ,* E 

Paseo de Bucareli G, E, S 

Paseo de la Eef orma . . Q, E, G 

Paseo de la Viga Y 

Patoni G, I 



STREETS OF THE CITY OF MEXICO. 



45 



Paz F 

Pelota en I 

Penitenciaria calz R, G 

Peralvillo E 

Peralvillo, Garita de E 

Perpetua L 

Peredopte T 

Pescadi E 

Piedad, or Nino Perdido . U 

Piedad calz S 

Pila Azul en O 

Pila de la Habana J 

Pila Seea J 

Pino r 

Pinto en I 

Pipis pte Y 

Plantados N 

Plateros M 

Polillacn T 

Porta CcBli M 

Porta Coeli, bajos de M, V 

Portal del Coliseo Viejo . K 

Portal de las Flores M 

Portal de Mercaderes. . . M 
Portal de Prado (Teepan 

de San Juan) T 

Portal de Refugio M 

Portal de Sto. Domingo. L 

Portal de Tejada T 

Portal de Tlapaleros M 

Portillo de San Diego ... I 
Potrero de San Agus- 

tin Z 

Pradera Z 

Pradito H 

Prado, Portal de (Teepan 

de San Juan) T 

Prima E 

Profesa (3rd S. Fran- 

eiseo) K 

Progreso- K 

ProgresoSi5n K 

Providencia R 

Pueblita B, C 

Puente del Molino j)laz. X 



Puentecito en E 

Puerta Falsa de S. An- 
dres K 

Puerta Falsa de S. Do- 
mingo J, L 

Puerta Falsa de la Mer- 

eed X 

Puesto Nuevo X 

Puesto Nuevo en X 

Pulqueria de Celaya L 

Pulqueria de Palacio ... O 

Pulqueria de Palaeio en . O 

Quebrado pte T 

Quemada X 

Quesadas X 

R^bano plaz U 

Ralono del Obispo en . . . J 
Ranelio de Casa Blanco 

calz Q 

Rastro V 

Rastro plaz W 

Ratas T 

Ratas en X 

Real de Sta Ana E 

Real de Santiago D 

Rebeldes T 

Recabado en I 

Recogidas W, V 

Reeogidas en V 

Ref orma en J 

Ref orma, Paseo de la . Q, R, S 

Refugio M 

Regina T 

Regina plaz T 

Rejas de la Balvanera. . . M 
Rejas de la Concepcion .J, K 
Rejas de S. Geronimo. . . V 

Relama en V 

Relo j E, L 

Revillagigedo I, R 

Reyes R 

Risco plaz V, W 

Rivera en. (2) C, E 



46 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 



Rivera de Sau Cosme. . . F 

Robles P 

Roldan O 

Rosa A 

Rosales G 

Rosario pte ; P 

Sabino A 

Salitreria en T 

SaltodelAgiia T, U 

Salsipuedes en K 

Sau Agustin, Arco de . . . V 

San Agustin, bajos de . . V 

San Agustin, Potrero de Z 
San Agustin, Tercer Or- 

dende T, V 

Santa Ana pte E 

Santa Ana plaz E 

San Andres K 

San Andres, Puerta falsa 

de K 

San Antonio Abad W, Y 

San Antonio Abad pte . . "W, Y 

San Antonio Abad calz . . W 

San Antonio Tomatlan . U 

Santa Barbara D 

Santa Barbara en. (2) .... I, X 

San Bernardo M 

Santa Catalina de Sena. L 

Santa Catarina E, L 

Santa Catarina cte L 

Santa Clara K 

Santa Clara en Iv 

San Camilo X 

San Cosme calz F 

San Cosme, Caiieria de . . F 

San Cosme, Garita de , . . F 

San Cosme, Rivera de . , . F 

Santa Cruz plaz O 

Santa Cruz Acatlan plaz . W 

San Diego I 

San Diego esp I 

San Diego, Portillo de . . I 

San Diego rinc I 

San Dieguito . . . . , Z 



San Dimas, or Venero, 

pte V 

Santo Domingo M 

Santo Domingo, eerca de L 

Santo Domingo, Portal de L 
Santo Domingo, Puerta 

falsa de J, L 

Santo Domingo plaz .... L 
Santo Domingo, Sepul- 

cros de L 

Santa Eseuela en P 

Santa Efigenia en O 

San Felipe de Jesus V 

San Felipe Neri T 

San Fernando plaz G 

San Francisco K 

San Francisco pte K 

San Francisco, Jardin de K 

Santa Gertrudis en V 

San Geronimo P 

San Hipolito I 

San Hipolito en I 

Santa In^s M, O 

Santa Isabel K 

Santa Isabel en K 

Santiago E 

Santiago plaz D 

Santiago, Real de D 

Santiaguito pte. (2) .... D, X 

San Jos6 de Gracia T 

San Jos6 el Real K 

San Juan T 

San Juan de Dios I 

San Juan de Dios esp. . . I 

San Juan de Letran K 

San J. de Nepomuceno en H 

^an Juanico en N 

San Lazaro pte O 

San Lazaro, Garita de . . . P 

San Lorenzo J 

San Lorenzo, eerca de . . J 

San Lorenzo, esp J 

i Santa Maria calz J 

Santa Maria pte J 

Santa Maria rinc J 



STREETS OF THE CITY OF MEXICO. 



47 



Santa Maria en H ' 

Santa Maria plaz H 

Santa Maria de la Rivera. F 

San Miguel V 

San Miguel eer V 

San Miguel ete V 

San Nicolas, Hospicio de. O 

San Vablo pte X 

Sau Pablo plaz X 

San Pedro y S. Pablo. . .L,M 

Sau Rafael calz F 

San Ramon X 

San Salvador el Seco .... U 

San Salvador el Seco plaz U 
San Salvador el Verdo 

plaz W 

San Sebastian L 

San Sebastian ete N 

San Sebastian plaz N 

San Sebastian pte N 

San Simon de Rojas en . . O 

Santa Teresa M 

Santa Teresa cer M 

Santa Teresa esp O, N 

Santo Tomas X 

Santo Tomas, Compuerta 

de X 

Santo Tomas plaz X 

Santa Vera Cruz en I 

Santa Ysabel K 

Santa Ysabel en K 

Santisima O 

Santisima pte. (2) O, T 

Santfsima plaz O 

Sapo R 

Sepulcros de S. Domingo L 

Seminario M 

Siete Principes O 

Solano pte O 

Soledad ete P | 

Soledad de Sta Cruz O | 

Sombreros on I I 

Solis en O 

Soto H, I 

Soto en I 



Sur F 

Susanillo O 

Tabaqueros en M,V 

Tucuba M 

Talavero en X 

Tarasquillo en I 

Tecolotes i)te D 

Tecpan de S. Juan plaz . . T 

Tecumarafia N 

Tejacn T 

Tejada, Portal de T 

Tenespa en E 

Tepechicliilco en J 

Tepozan en E 

Tequezquite plaz J 

Tercer Orden de S. Agus- 

tin T,V 

Tezontlale pte E 

Tibureio T 

Tiradero en Y 

Titireteros en X 

Tizapan en U 

Tlapaleros M 

Tlazcoaque en W 

Tompeate pte V 

Topacio X 

Tornito de Regina T 

Toro en I 

Trapana X 

Triunfocn T, U 

Tumbaburros T 

Universidad M 

Ureno en X 

Valle C 

Vallejo, Garita de B 

Vanegas O 

Vaquita en J 

Vazquez en E 

Veas en O 

Venero, or SanDimas pte V 

Verdas R 

Verde V 



4S 



MEXICAN CRUDE. 



Yi>i'!;i\r:i K 

VoroiHoa N 

Yiboritas on X 

Yiotoria T 

Vii;a C'lUial Y 

Yi.'iJi, Tai^oo de Irt Y 

Villamil plaz «V 

A'illamil pto cT 

YiAa on. (li) P,K 

Yiolota F, O. H 

Yii'.oaviijis T 

Yi/iCavnas eu T 

Yizouyuas plaz T 

XicotencatI K 



Ysabcl K 

yiuibiclo I, K 

Zacate, pto. do J 

Ziu'ato I'll V 

Zapatoros L 

Zaivoav O, H, I 

Zavai^oza 0,0 

Znnijro-a O 

/.:U-:l;>\v.-,a pltVZ O 

Ztivola P 

Zoi'olo, Jardiu do INI 

Zoquipa calz Z 

Zulota ..K,T 



PART II. 

DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL 



PART II. 



7. THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 

By Rail, via El Paso. A few minutes after leaving 
the station in El Paso the train crosses the Kio Grande 
to the Mexican town of Paso del Norte. Here a stop is 
made long enough for the examination of luggage by 
the customs officials, and for supper at the railway res- 
taurant. 

Paso del Norte. There is a certain straggling pictur- 
esqueness about this little adobe town that — should the 
traveller have any spare time at his disposal — renders it 
quite worth visiting. A mule-car line, crossing the Eio 
Grande on a shambling wooden bridge, connects it with 
El Paso, and is an institution much esteemed by all 
dwellers hereabouts, because it is the only international 
mule-car line in the world. Historically, Paso del Norte 
possesses a very considerable importance, for it was here 
that the constitutional government of Juarez maintained 
its foothold upon Mexican soil, and so preserved the con- 
tinuity of the Mexican Kepublic throughout the entire 
period of the French occupation. When Juarez was driven 
from the City of Mexico,May 31, 1863, he retreated north- 
ward in haste and disorder. On his arrival in San Luis 
Potosi he formally reorganized his government — on June 
10th, the day preceding that of the formal occupation of 



52 MEXICAIS^ GUIDE. 

the capital by the French. Thereafter he maintained its 
official existence in various cities of the north — Saltillo, 
Monterey, Chihuahua — and finally, toward the end of 
the year 1864, established it here in this little town, on 
the very verge and confines of the country that still, in 
theory, was subject to its control. When, under pres- 
sure from the Government of the United States, the 
support of France was withdrawn and the empire fell, 
the republic once more became such in fact as well as 
in law. The City of Mexico was captured by General 
Diaz Juue 20, 1867, and on the 15th of the ensuing July 
President Juarez made his formal entry and resumed his 
control of national affairs. The fact that Paso del Norte 
thus held and preserved the constitutional government 
is considered by its inhabitants to be the most honoring 
event in all the three centuries over which its history ex- 
tends. Custom house formalities being attended to, the 
train leaves in the early evening, runs all night through 
a flat, desolate grazing region, and arrives at Chihuahua 
early on the following morning. 

Ghihuahica, iovmerlj San Felipe el Eeal (population, 
12,000 ; hotels: American, Hidalgo), was founded, at a 
comparatively early period in the history of New Spain, 
as one of the several outposts established in the North 
for defense against the incursions of the Chichimec In- 
dians ; and the discovery of silver in its vicinity early 
raised it to a position of importance. It stands in the 
midst of a mountain-girdled plain ; is built for the most 
part of adobe, and, in common with adobe towns gen- 
erally, is picturesque rather than impressive. The most 
important building in the city is the handsome parish 
church, dedicated to San Francisco de Assisi, erected 
between the years 1717 and 1789 — with the proceeds of 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 53 

a tax of one 7^eal on the marco, amounting, it is believed, 
to $800,000, levied upon the product of the famous 
mine of Santa Eulalia. The building is rather unusu- 
ally high for its width, as is the case also with the towers, 
giving an effect of lightness and grace not often seen in 
Spanish-American architecture. Upon the richly orna- 
mented facade are thirteen statues : San Francisco and 
the twelve Apostles. In the recesses of the supporting 
arches of the dome are basso-rehevos of the Fathers of 
the Church. The other churches of the city are the 
Compania — built under the patronage of Don Manuel 
de Santa Cruz in the year 1718 ; the Oratorio de San 
Felipe Neri, and the Santuario of Nuestra Senora de 
Guadalupe. Other objects of interest are the mint, in 
one of the towers of which Hidalgo, AUende, Aldama, and 
Jimenez were confined previous to their execution ; the 
monument that marks the spot where these patriots fell, 
July 31, 1811 ; the handsome plaza ; the two alamedas ; 
and the aqueduct, built about the end of the last cen- 
tury. From Chihuahua southward to Calera the line 
runs through a flat country, skirted by distant moun- 
tains, and across a portion of the lake region known as 
the Laguna, or Bolson de Mapimi. At the little town of 
Santa Rosalia an adobe wall, pierced by a picturesque 
gateway surmounted by a cross (seen to the right, going 
south, just beyond the station), incloses the Campo Santo, 
or cemetery, Lerdo, on the southern edge of the La- 
guna, is the shipping-point for the important cotton- 
growing region of which it is the chief city. A stage 
connection is made here for Durango, 150 miles south- 
west. At Matamoras and at San Isidro (passed in the 
night) stage connections are made for Saltillo, the pres- 
ent southern terminus of the northern division of the 



M , MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Mexican National Kailway. Fresnillo (second morning 
from El Paso) is an important mining town, founded in 
the year 1554, when Francisco de Ibarra discovered the 
now abandoned Proano mine. Almost immediately after 
leaving Calera the ascent of the mountains begins. En- 
gine houses and reduction works, inclosed by fortified 
walls, are seen on the mountain slopes eastward of the 
track. 

Zacatecas (population 30,000 ; Hotel Zacatecano). The 
rich mines of this region were discovered in 1545. 
Three years later the town was founded by Baltasar 
Tremino de Banuelos, Cristobal de Onate and Diego de 
Ibarra. Its charter as a city was embodied in a royal 
order of 1585. The cathedral — the See of Zacatecas was 
erected in 1863 — has a handsome fa9ade. The most 
important church is the Colegio Apostolico de Nuestra 
Senora de Guadalupe, five miles distant, in the suburb 
of Guadalupe — reached by a detached section of the 
Mexican National Kailway. The church and college 
were founded by Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus, from 
the College of Santa Cruz in Queretaro, in the year 1707. 
The church, built in 1721, is cruciform, crowned by a 
fine dome. Since 1844 the interior has been several 
times renovated and improved. In addition to the main 
altar, there are fourteen minor altars. The choir is 
handsome, and contains two organs. Above Zacatecas 
rises a bold ridge called the Bufa. This is crowned 
with a handsome chapel dedicated to Nuestra Senora 
de los Eemedios, founded in 1728 under the patronage 
of Don Jose de Rivera Bernardez. The present build- 
ing was erected in 1794. On this same hill a battle was 
fought March 2, 1871, between a revolutionary army un- 
der the generals Trevino, Guerra, and Garcia de la Ca- 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 55 

dena, and the Juarez forces under General Sostenes 
Rocha — resulting in the defeat of the revolutionists. 
Among the other notable churches are San Francisco, 
Santo Domingo, San Agustiu and Nuestra Senora de 
la Merced. The several monasteries and convents, hav- 
ing been secularized, have been destroyed or diverted to 
other uses — the Hotel Zacatecano occupjdng one of 
these ancient buildings. The situation of the town, in 
a narrow ravine, adds much to its picturesqueness, and 
also simplifies locomotion : the line of horse cars that 
runs along its principal street takes the visitor every- 
where, with the exception only of the mines which he 
may elect to visit on the steep mountain-side. 

The descent from Zacatecas southward is exceedingly 
picturesque. The railway winds around the hill-side 
above a deep ravine, on the opposite side of which rises the 
Bufa. Mines and reduction works are in sight in every 
direction. In passing the suburb of Guadalupe the top 
of the spire is seen from above. Near Soledad, 38 miles 
south of Zacatecas, are a number of small lakes, whence 
salt and carbonate of soda are obtained. 

Aguas Calientes (population 22,000 ; Hotel de la 
Plaza) is a charming little city, picturesque, cleanly, 
with abundant water, and many gardens and public 
squares adorned with tropical and semi-tropical trees 
and plants. The Plaza de Armas, and the gardens of 
San Marco and Guadalupe are especially notable. Of im- 
portant buildings there are few. The finest church is 
the parroquia. Two miles east of the town, at the end 
of a pretty alameda, are the hot springs whence the 
town, and also the State of which it is the capital, derive 
their name. 

Thirty miles south of Aguas Calientes a wide and 



56 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

deep barranca, tlirough which flows the Encarnacion 
Kiver, is crossed by an iron bridge at an elevation of 150 
feet above the stream. On the eastern side a massive 
stone dam — erected many years ago by the exertions of 
a parish priest — holds the water of the river in store for 
irrigation. 

Lagos (population, 13,500 ; Hotel de Diligencias) con- 
tains several interesting churches, the parroquia, San 
Francisco, the Merced, with the buildings formerly oc- 
cupied by the monks attached to the two latter, and the 
ex-convent of the Capuchinas. From this point connec- 
tion is made by diligence eastward to San Luis Potosi, 
and westward to Guadalajara. 

Leon (population 120,000 ; Hotel de Diligencias) is the 
second city of Mexico. It is the great leather mart of 
the KepubHc, and is especially noted for its manufact- 
ures of boots, shoes, and saddles. Another important 
business interest here is the manufacture of rebosos, a 
species of shawl worn universally by the women of the 
lower classes. Woollen goods, hats, and knives also are 
made here. As usually is the case with manufacturing 
towns, Leon is not especially interesting. The cathe- 
dral (primitively the church of La Compania : the See 
of Leon was erected in March, 1863) was begun about 
the middle of the last century, and even yet is not quite 
finished. It is without aisles; disproportionately long 
for its width (220 X 45 feet), and has a fine dome, de- 
signed by the architect Manuel Gomez. Here is vener- 
ated the original image of Nuestra Senora de la Luz, 
presented to the city by the Jesuit Father Jose Maria 
Genovesi about the year 1740. The originality of the 
image is assured by the certificate upon the back of the 
picture attested by four Jesuit Fathers. Nuestra Senora 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 57 

de la Luz was made the patron of Leon May 23, 1840, 
when the city government solemnly swore allegiance to 
her ; an act that was approved by the Pope, December 
20, 1851. The church of Niiestra Seuora de los Angeles, 
now the parroquia, also a Jesuit foundation, contains 
some noteworthy carvings by the artist Don Sixto Mu- 
iioz, a native of Leon. For two centuries following the 
year 1586, when the first missionary. Father Alonzo 
Espino was slain by the Chichimecs, the parish church 
was administered by Franciscans ; a relic of Avhose ad- 
ministration is found in the little church of the Tercer 
Orden. In the suburbs of the city is a pretty Paseo, a 
causeway shaded by handsome trees. Twenty miles 
southeast of Leon is the town of Silao, where several 
flour-mills are in operation. A branch railway extends 
from this point to Guanajuato, about fifteen miles east- 
ward ; the steam-line ending at the suburb of Marfil, 
whence a horse-hne ascends the steep ravine to the 
town. 

Guanajuato (population, 52,000 ; Hotel de la Concor- 
dia), the leading mining town of Mexico. In the year 
1548 the first mine — believed to have been La Luz, in 
the San Bernabe vein — was opened, and ten years later 
the wonderfully rich Mother Vein {veta madre) was dis- 
covered — now pierced by the Valenciana, Tepeyac, Cata, 
Santa Ana, Santa Anita, and other mines of less note. 
The town possesses historical importance in that it was 
captured by Hidalgo's mob of revolutionists, September 
28, 1810. When Hidalgo was executed at Chihuahua, 
less than a year later, his head, and the heads of the 
other patriots executed with him, Allende, Aldama, and 
Jimenez, were sent to Guanajuato where they were 
placed on iron hooks over the angles of the Alhondiga 



58 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

de Granaditas— in which the Spaniards had entrenched 
themselves, and in which, when captured, by Hidalgo's 
forces, they were put to the sword. The town is built 
in a ravine, terraced on each side in order to give stand- 
ing-room for the houses, many of the lateral streets being 
Hterally stairways. In the upper part of the little city, 
beside the reservoirs, there are a number of handsome 
residences. The notable buildings are the Alhondiga de 
Granaditas, built early in the present century, and now 
used in part as a prison and in part as a school, and 
the several churches. Of these latter, the most interest- 
ing is the old Jesuit church of the Compania, built be- 
tween 1747 and 1765 at a cost of $200,000— of which 
more than $80,000 was expended in blasting out a level 
space to build it upon. The single tower contains an 
unusually fine chime of bells, of which the great beU was 
blessed by Bishop Tymon, of Buffalo— then temporarily 
in Guanajuato— in 1852. The facade is ornamented 
with statues of the saints of the order, the principal 
figure being St. Ignatius Loyola, and a statue of Charity ; 
while above the lateral doorways are statues of Faith 
and Hope. The interior is handsomely decorated, and 
contains three pictures by the Mexican artist Ibarra— 
*'The Triumph of Mary," " The Infant Christ adored by 
St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier," and the 
"Adoration of Mary." Being banished from Mexico 
in 1767, the Jesuits had possession of this church 
for less than two years. Subsequently, until the Re- 
form, it was administered by the Oratorians of San Fe- 
lipe Neri. The church of San Francisco, the parroquia, 
once belonging to the Franciscan monastery (founded 
here in 1792), practically was rebuilt between the years 
1845 and 1852 at a cost of $40,000. It has a simple 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 59 

fa9ade, flanked by two well-proportioned towers, one of 
which contains a large and a sweet-toned bell. The in- 
terior is handsomely decorated, the main altar and six 
side altars being richly gilded ; and among the sacred 
images is an unusually good figure of Nuestra Senora del 
Refugio — especially venerated in this town. Other nota- 
ble churches are San Roque, Betlemitas, San Sebastian 
and San Jose. In the Plaza de Mejia Mora a mural tablet 
designates the house in which the eminent engineer and 
first Mexican aeronaut, Benito Leon Acosta, was born. 

Returning to Silao, the railway passes through the 
rich farming region known as the Bajio, greatly ravaged 
during the civil wars. At Irapuato peculiarly good 
strawberries are brought to the train for sale ; at Sala- 
manca gloves, leather garments, and straw hats, for the 
manufacture of which the town is noted, usually can be 
bought from the car door ; and at Celaya (see Celaya) 
an opportunity is afforded to buy the sweetmeats, dulces, 
for which that town is famous — the proper make to buy 
being that of La Fama. At this point the Central and 
National railways cross. 

Queretaro (population, 30,000 ; Hotel del Ferrocarril). 
This town was won from the Chichimec Indians by the 
expedition sent out under the command of the Otomi 
Cacique, Fernando de Tapia, by the first Audencia in 
1531. The present city is situated in a fertile valley, is 
abundantly watered, and is very green and pleasant to 
behold. Several plazas, planted with palms, bananas, 
and other semi-tropical trees, beautify it, and in the 
suburb, near the railway station, is the handsome alam- 
eda. The most important public work is the fine stone 
aqueduct. This is two miles long, supported upon 
arches ninety feet high, and, spanning the intervening 



60 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

meadow region, is connected with a tunnel in tlie opposite 
Mils. The source of supply is about five miles from the 
city. The aqueduct was built mainly at the charges of 
the Viceroy Don Baltasar de Zdniga, Marques de Valero 
de Aguila. A statue of this eminent benefactor of the 
town adorns the principal plaza. The church of San 
Francisco, now the cathedral (the See of Queretaro was 
erected in 1863), was founded almost immediately after 
the Spaniards possessed the town. The existing church 
was completed in 1698, since which time it has been re- 
paired and modified. Its present handsome appearance 
dates from 1727, when it was carefully restored and en- 
larged by Fray Fernando Alonzo Gonzalez, Commissioner- 
General of the Indies. The beautiful choir was added at 
the end of the last century. In the church are preserved 
two notable images, that of Jesus Nazareno, executed in 
1760 by the sculptor Bartolico (so-called) ; and that of 
San Diego de Alcala, executed in 1606 by the master 
Francisco Martinez. Near the church is the chapel of 
the Loreto, containing a replica of the Santa Casa. The 
existing church of the Oratorio of San Felipe Neri was 
begun in 1786, under the patronage of Don Melchor 
Noriega, and was completed with the fortune bequeathed 
for this purpose by his widow in 1793. It contains a fine 
sacristy, and a very elegant high altar of jasper and ala- 
baster. The church of Santa Clara, formerly a part of 
the now extinct convent of Santa Clara, is interesting as 
having been founded by a rich Indian, the Cacique 
Diego de Tapia, son of the Fernando de Tapia by whom 
the town was wrested from the Chichimecs. The act of 
this pious Indian was induced by a desire to settle in 
life his only daughter ; to which end he readily accepted 
the proposition of Fray Miguel Lopez to build a convent 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 61 

in which his daughter should be the first novice. The 
existing church was finished in July, 1633. Don Diego 
de Tapia also founded, in 1586, the church and hospital 
of the Purisima Concepcion — the existing church being 
finished in 1726. Other notable churches are San An- 
tonio, Santo Domingo, San Agustin, the CarmeD, the 
Merced, Santa Teresa and Santa Eosa. The church (once 
attached to the now extinct college) of Santa Cruz, built 
in 1683, contains some curious images, and a miraculous 
stone cross. Near the town is the Santuario de Nuestra 
Seriora del Pueblito, whose image is greatly vener- 
ated. In Queretaro the treaty of peace between Mexico 
and the United States was ratified by the Mexican Con- 
gress in 1818. In this town Maximilian made his last 
stand. He surrendered, May 19, 1867, to the generals 
Escobedo and Palacio ; was tried by court-martial, and 
on June 19th, together with Miramon and Mejia, was 
shot. The site of the execution, upon the cerro de las 
campanas (hill of the bells), is marked by three crosses. 

South of Queretaro the railway — leaving the town 
under one of the arches of the aqueduct — passes near 
the Hercules cotton mills, one of the most important 
manufactories in Mexico. Later is crossed the broad 
plain of the Cazadero (hunt — so named because of the 
great hunt organized here by the Indians in 1510 as a 
testimonial of their good will for the first Viceroy, Don 
Antonio de Mendoza) ; and from the border of this plain 
the ascent begins of the mountain-chain that incloses 
the Valley of Mexico. 

Tula, the primitive Tollan, is a Toltec town of great 
antiquity ; yet this probably was a Toltec foundation 
upon a site occupied by a still earlier people. The 
Church of San Francisco, with the adjoining monastery 



62 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

(now extinct), has the appearance much less of a church 
than of a fort, for it is most ponderously built and has 
its walls guarded by flanking towers ; while inclosing it 
is a heavy stone wall fourteen feet high. This remark- 
able structure was begun by Fray Alonzo Rangel, who 
came to Mexico in 1529, and who was the first Christian 
missionary to preach in Tula and Xilotepec. Being 
made guai'dian of the monastery at Tula, he began the 
building of the church, probably about 1540. He was 
lost at sea, while on his way to Spain in 1547, and the 
building was carried on by Fray Antonio de San Juan, 
being completed not later than 15G1. This is one of 
the few churches belonging to the sixteenth century in 
Mexico that stands, practically, exactly in the condition 
in which it was left by its builders. In the interior ai'e 
some notable paintings by Mexican artists of the period 
of its completion — works of very little artistic value, but 
exceedingly curious. The monastery has fallen partly 
into decay. In the archives of the church are preserved 
many documents in the Nahuatl tongue. Near the 
town ai'e found exceedingly interesting ruins, though 
the interest attaching to them lies less in the ruins 
themselves than in their value as a probable connecting 
link with a civilization even the name of which is lost. 
From Tula the ascent of the mountains is completed, and 
the railway enters the Valley of Mexico through the 
tajo (cut) of Nochistongo (which see). It is quite worth 
the traveller's while to turn out at 6 a.m. in order to see 
this famous work as the train passes through it ; and also 
to catch the first view — to be had on a clear morning — of 
the snow-capped peaks, respectively 17,798 and 16,077 
feet high, of Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl. At 8.25 a.m. 
the journey comes to an end in the station at Buena Vista. 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 63 

By Rail and Coach from Laredo. After the acqui- 
sition of Texas by the United States the town of Laredo, 
on the east bank of the Eio Grande, was deserted by the 
more substantial of its inhabitants, and by these the 
town of Nuevo Laredo, on the Mexican side of the river, 
was founded. The Mexican town, therefore, is less than 
forty years old ; and, lacking the mellowing effect of 
age, it is not especially interesting. In the old Laredo 
the most picturesque building is the church — a quaint 
structure that contrasts curiously with the near-by, very 
American, court-house and public school. 

A few minutes after leaving the station of the Mexican 
National Railway the Rio Grande is crossed on a high 
trestle, and" immediately thereafter the train is halted at 
the Nuevo Laredo station for examination of luggage 
by the Mexican customs officials. After leaving Nuevo 
Laredo the train runs for several hours through a deso- 
late chaparal plain ; but when this dreary region is 
passed the scenery thence onward almost to Saltillo is 
extraordinarily fiue. Beyond Lampazos, to the right, is 
seen a long, level-crested mountain, the mesa (table) de 
los CartujanoH. It is an elevated table-land, 1,400 feet 
in perpendicular height, of about 80,000 acres. In an- 
cient times it was the home of the so-called Indian tribe 
of Cartujanos (Carthusians), whose name, possibly, was 
derived from the establishment among them of a Bene- 
dictine mission. A path about five feet wide and three 
miles long leads to tlie summit — the precipitous sides 
rendering other access impossible. Being plentifully 
wooded and watered, with an abundance of grass, and 
being thus isolated, it is the finest stock range in the 
world. Lampazos, 72 miles from Laredo, on the con- 
fines of the free zone, has been for many years a noto- 



64 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

rious resort of smugglers. Bustamante, 105 miles from 
Laredo, is one of the several frontier settlements of 
Tlascalans made between the years 1680 and 1690 for 
the purpose of holding in check the Indians of the 
North. 

Mo7iterey (population, 16,000 ; hotels : Leader and 
Yturbide). The town was founded about the j'ear 1560, 
under the name of Santa Lucia (the little river crossing 
the city from west to east still bears this name) ; but 
was created a city in 1596 and renamed Monterey in 
honor of Don Gaspar de Zuiiiga Conde de Monterey^ 
the then Viceroy. The city lies in a fertile plain, from 
which rises, on the east, the mountain of the Silla (saddle) 
and on the west Las Mitras (the mitres). To the south 
is the magnificent sweep of the Sierra Madre. Near the 
centre of the city is the great spring, the ojo de agua, 
that doubtless decided the choice of this place as a set- 
tlement — though now the main supply of drinking-water 
is brought from a point west of the hill of the Obispado. 
The notable buildings of the city are : the handsome ca- 
thedral ; the Church of San Francisco, built in 1730 — 
adjoining which is the ruin of the earlier church, and 
the now extinct monastery ; the fine church of Nuestra 
Seiiora del Boble, in which the miraculous image of 
Our Lady of the Oak is enshrined ; the ex-convent of 
the Caridad, never completed, containing a row of fine 
arches with hanging key-stones ; the Obispado viejo (old 
Bishop's Palace), now used as an artillery barrack, on a 
hill at the western end of the city ; the Palace of the 
Ayuntamiento ; the bridge of the Purisima ; the theatre, 
and the State capitol building. The Plaza de Zaragoza 
is adorned with trees and flowers, and has in its centre 
a marble fountain quaintly wrought. A few miles from 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. (j5 

the city are the hot springs — possessing medicinal qual- 
ities — of Topo Chico. Monterey was captured by the 
American forces, under the command of General Taylor, 
September 24, 1846, the most striking feature of the 
attack being the storming of the hill of the Obispado. 

South of Monterey the railway follows the valley of 
the San Juan, the valley decreasing in width as it as- 
cends toward the Plateau. Near Santa Catarina a curi- 
ous hole may be seen, to the left, through the crest of 
the mountain. At Garcia* are two remarkable caves — to 
see which visitors from Monterey should secure the ser- 
vices of Seiior Sanchez as a guide. Between Monterey 
and Garcia the mountain sceneiy scarcely can be sur- 
passed in grandeur — the mountains on each side of the 
valley, exquisite in reddish and purplish colorings, ris- 
ing up in sheer, bare masses to a great height. Only 
less impressive is the scenery onward through the canon 
of the San Juan until Los Muertos (so named because 
of an Indian massacre there in ancient times) is passed 
and the train reaches the first escarpment of the Plateau. 
Thence onward until Saltillo is reached the valley widens, 
the mountains decrease in height and are farther away, 
and the outlook ceases to be especially picturesque. 

Saltillo (poi^ulation 26,000 ; hotel de Dihgencias) stands 
upon the northeastern edge of the Mexican Plateau, 
at an elevation of 5,217 feet. Its summer cHmate 
is peculiarly agreeable, causing it to be much resorted 
to during the hot months by the dwellers on the lower 
levels eastward. It is celebrated for the production of 
woollen blankets and serapes, or ponchos ; its manufact- 
ures of these articles being in demand in all parts of 
the Repubhc. The town is well-built, laid out in the 
customary aggressively right-angled fashion, and has in 
5 



66 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

its centre a very pretty plaza adorned witli a fountain, 
flowers, and trees. Travellers here will do well to ask 
for the white wine of Parras [vino bianco de Parras), a 
sound and wholesome native wine, very like some of the 
coarser grades of the white wines of Hungary. 

From Saltillo, stages leave for San Isidro (186 miles ; 
37 hours), and for Matamoros (216 miles ; 56 houi's), 
where connection for the City of Mexico and intermedi- 
ate points is made with the trains of the Mexican Cen- 
tral Railway. Daniel Sada's line to San Isidro, both in 
respect to time and to comfort, is to be preferred — 
though the fare by this line is five dollars more than by 
Tena's line to Matamoros. (See p. 16.) 

By Sea, via Havana. The traveller by either of 
the steamers from New York necessarily has from one 
to two days in Havana ; a period that, of course, can be 
extended indefinitely. The principal objects of interest 
in Havana are : the cathedral, in which is the alleged 
tomb of Columbus and a very rich treasury containing 
the sacred vessels and ornaments ; the oratory of the 
Templete, marking the spot where was celebrated in Cuba 
the first mass ; several other ancient churches ; the Tacon, 
Colon, and Cristina markets ; the Paseo, and the hand- 
some suburbs of the Cerro and Jesus del Monte. Char- 
acteristic sights are a cigar factory and a sugar estate. 
Various excursions can be made by rail into the interior 
of and across the island. 

Continuing the journey by either the French or Eng- 
lish steamers, the run to Vera Cruz is made direct ; by 
the American steamers the traveller has an opportunity 
to land at Progreso, and sometimes to land also at Cam^- 
peche and Frontera. Notwithstanding the awkwardness 
that fi'equently attends the landing, the halt (usually of 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 67 

a day) at Progreso should be made use of to visit Merida, 
twenty-two miles inland by rail. 

Merida was founded about 1542, after the conquest of 
Yucatan by Don Francisco de Monte jo and by his son — 
the latter succeeding to the command of the forces em- 
ployed in this war of conquest that began in 1526. The 
most interesting buildings of the present city are its 
churches. The existing cathedral, succeeding a still ear- 
lier one, was completed in the year 1598, at a cost of 
$300,000. The fagade is ornamented by statues of Saint 
Peter and Saint Paul (the finely-sculptured royal arms 
were covered with plaster in 1822) and is surmounted by 
a balustrade guarding a footway between the two towers. 
In the southern tower is a clock, made in London in 1731. 
The vaulted, carved roof is supported upon sixteen very 
massive columns, which divide the nave from the aisles ; 
and above it rises a fine dome, also carved. The existing 
high altar, completed in 1762, is of wood, richly carved 
and gilded, and was surmounted originally by the royal 
arms ; a tabernacle, erected a few years ago, although 
fine in itself, obscures the earlier work, and does not at 
all harmonize with it. From the chancel a passageway 
leads to the curious circular choir in the body of the 
building, in which there are some good wood-carvings. 
Four handsome chapels and the sacristy are worthy of 
notice. Even in Merida many persons believe that the 
church of San Juan de Dios was the primitive cathedral ; 
this mistake arising from the fact that in the interval be- 
tween the destruction of the first and the completion of 
the existing cathedral this church was used as the cathe- 
dral of the diocese. San Juan de Dios is a very ancient 
foundation. The existing church, with its adjacent hos- 
pital and monastery, was completed in the year 1625. 



6S MEXICAN" GUIDE. 

The monastery and hospital are extinct, and the church 
has fallen into decay. The ex-Seminario de San Pedro, 
founded in 1711, is now used by the Legislatiu'e, and as 
a theatre. San Juan Bautista is a miracle-working church ; 
or was in its early years. Very soon after the foundation 
of the city a plague of locusts came upon the land, and 
as a means of staying this plague — there being some un- 
certainty as to which saint had jurisdiction in the prem- 
ises — lots were cast to find from what quarter aid should 
be asked : and the lot fell upon St. John the Baptist. 
Thereupon a mass was said to this saint, and the locusts 
disappeared. Then the church was erected, and for a 
lonq* while the fields were safe. But the church was 
neglected as time went on, until the year 1618, when, 
on the eve of St John, the locusts once more appeared, 
and in such quantities as never before were known. A 
vow then was made by the Governor and the Bishop to 
attend each 3'ear at a mass to be said in the chiu'ch on 
the festival of St. John ; and since that time the locusts 
have been held in check. The church was rebuilt in the 
year 1771. Other notable chui'ches are the Compailia 
de Jesus, the Candelaria, San Francisco and Santa Lucia. 
Merida is the centre of the large and rapidly increasing 
trade in henequen fibre. A leisurely traveller, with a ten- 
dency toward antiquarian research, will do well to stop 
over a steamer at Merida and make a trip of exj)loration 
to the ruins of XJxmal, sixty miles distant. The run to 
Vera Cruz from ProgTeso usually is made in thu'ty-six 
hours. From a considerable distance at sea the snow- 
capped peak of Orizaba may be seen, and, as the coast 
rises, the little island of Sacrificios comes into view. As 
the harbor is entered the city lies on the left, and on the 
right the fort of San Juan de Ulua (built between the 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 69 

years 1569 and 1633), now used as a prison. The land- 
ing is made in boats. If port is made in the early 
morning, all travellers with a love of the picturesque 
certainly should make a point of being on deck : for the 
best view of Vera Cruz is from the harbor, and the 
best time to see it is when a bright sun, just risen above 
the watery horizon, is reflected back from the antiquated 
domes and houses visible above the old massive city 
wall. 

Vera Cruz (population, 24,000 ; Hotel de Diligencias). 
The first Spaniard who landed here was Grijalva '•' in 
1518, in the course of a trading expedition fitted out by 
Velazquez, Governor of Cuba. His trading was so suc- 
cessful that Velazquez was induced to fit out the expe- 
dition that sailed from Cuba in the following year under 
the command of Cortes. The first landing made by 
Cortes, April 21, 1519, was upon the site of the present 
fort of San Juan de Ulua. On the ensuing day he 
landed where the present city stands ;f and because his 
landing was made upon Good Friday, and because the ac- 
counts were good of gold in that land, he gave to the 
town that he then and there founded the name of the 
Villa rica de la Santa Vera Cruz — the Rich City of the 
Holy True Cross. This town has been a great sea-port, 
and the terror of seafaring men, during the past three 
centuries. During the period preceding Independence 
the commerce of the i^ortj averaged $12,000,000 an- 
nually of importations and $18,000,000 of exportations 

* Vide Apuntes Historicos de Vera Cruz, p. 102. 

f Although the town has been moved no less than four times, 
the last moving — in the year IGOO, in conformity with orders sent 
from Spain during the Viceroyalty of the Conde de Monterey — • 
brought it back to its primitive site. 

X Vide Esterior Comercio de Mexico. Mexico, 1853. 



70 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

— the odd $6,000,000 being about the annual average of 
the royal revenue derived from New Spain. The ex- 
ports, moreover, included merchandise from China and 
the East that was brought across the country. In the 
last fifty years of the Spanish domination the export 
trade from Vera Cruz averaged upward of $20,000,000 ; 
and when the country revived after the revolution of 
1810-21, the exports increased to $26,000,000. The 
opening of railway communication with the United 
States already has diminished greatly the commerce of 
the port. * Exceptmg during the winter months, when 
no danger whatever is to be feared. Vera Cruz is one of 
the most unhealth}'- cities in the world. With Puebla 
and Mexico beyond, few travellers will care to linger 
here ; nor is there much of interest to detain them. 
Some part of a day, however, probably will be spent in 
the town, for the train for Mexico starts at the uncon- 
scionable hour of 5.45 a.m. — too early to admit of depar- 
ture inland on the da}'- of arrival. This period of idle 
time may be employed in visiting the fort, the mole, the 
church of San Antonio and the chapel of La Pastora, the 
Palacio Municipal, completed in 1627, and the market, 
where excellent fi'uit may be bought. 

Jalapa (reached by a railway direct from Vera Cruz). 
A very delightful excursion of three days may be made 
from Vera Cruz to Jalapa, through which passes the 
ancient highway to Mexico, a little city that is famous 

* The exports from Vera Cruz for tlie tliree years ending in 
1883, 1884, and 1885 were, respectively: $23,956,310, $25,119,- 
420, and $17,067,096. For these same years the exports by rail 
into the United States (through Paso del Norte, Nuevo Laredo, 
Nogales, and Piedras Negras) were respectively : $2,353,422, 
$5,583,394, and $11,421,191. 



THE JOURNEY TO MEXICO. 71 

throughout the Republic for the exceeding beauty of its 
women and of its situation. From these, its pleasing 
characteristics, arise the saying that Jalapa is a part of 
heaven let down to earth, and the proverb : Las Jalap- 
enas son lialarj iXeflaa — bewitching, alluring are the women 
of Jalapa. A less pleasing characteristic, its frequent 
days of mist and rain — at once the cause of and a very 
serious drawback upon the enjoyment of its green love- 
liness — has given rise to yet another saying hereabouts. 
During these melancholy days the Jalapeno, muffled in 
his serape and smoking dismally, mutters : " Ave Maria 
purisima, que venga el sol ! " — Holy Virgin, let the sun 
shine ! The probability of sad weather therefore must 
be considered in deciding upon making the excursion. 
The town is a curious, old-fashioned place — old fash- 
ioned even in Mexico, where the fashion of every-thing is 
old — with streets as refreshingly crooked and irregular 
as they are picturesque and miraculously clean. It lies 
upon undulating ground ; most of its streets are very 
steep ; its houses are in the old, heavy Spanish style, 
with windows almost flush with the pavement, defended 
by iron bars. In the background of the city, over hills 
and ravines and lesser mountains, is seen the great 
Cofre de Perote (the white mass of porphyry resembling 
a chest, whence its name of cofre, showing upon its dark 
side) ; and towering above all is the snow peak of Oriz- 
aba. The little towns near by, Jilotepec and Cuatepec 
(distant, in different directions, respectively seven and 
four miles), the latter reached by horse-car, are well 
worth seeing — the first for its curious and most pictur- 
esque situation at the bottom of a deep valley, the 
second for its beautiful environment of trees and flow- 
ers ; and both for the exceeding beauty of the scenery by 



72 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

the way. The women of this region are celebrated for 
theii' fair beauty of a thoroughly EngHsh type — a bril- 
liant complexion, fair hair, light brown eyes ; all of 
which, doubtless, they owe, primarily, to descent from 
colonists from the fair pai^t of Spain, and, secondarily, 
at least their fine complexions, to the mist}'- region in 
which they live. A less romantic, but better known pro- 
duct of Jalapa is the " jalap " of old-fashioned medical 
practice. In making the expedition to this delightful 
town a full day must be allowed for the journey from 
Vera Cruz, and another full day for the return. But 
the scenery along the line of the railroad — that passes 
the famous National Bridge — is so fine that this lai'ge 
allowance of time for so short a joui-ney will cause no 
grumbling by the w'ay. 

From Vera Cruz to Mexico the journey is made over 
the Mexican Railway, the first railroad built in the Ee- 
pubhc — first proposed seriously in 1837 and, after many 
delays, completed in 1873. For nearly fifty miles the 
road runs through the tierra caliente (hot land) of the coast. 
Near the station of Paso del Macho, where the track curves 
around the base of the Chiquihuite mountain, the ascent 
becomes perceptible. Throughout the journey across 
the hot lands the vegetation is wholly tropical ; the huts 
of the natives are picturesque shelters of cane ; and across 
and above this luxui'iant foreground the traveller has 
glimpses of Orizaba, crowned with snow, standing out 
against the very blue sky. Especially striking \iews 
scarcely can be said to belong to any one part of the as- 
cent that follows : they are continuous. Near Atoyac 
are the falls of the river of the same name in a deep ravine 
beside the railway — though best seen from an adjacent 
bridge. Cordoba, at an elevation of about 2,700 feet, is 



MUNICIPALITY OF MEXICO. 73 

the centre of a great coffee-growing region ; though this 
coffee is not to be compared with the delicious coffee 
grown in the neighborhood of Uruapan. After passing 
through several short tunnels the train crosses the Metlac 
bridge, ninety feet above the river, and thence proceeds 
for several miles along the side of the great ravine of Met- 
lac, from the upper end of which it continues, amidst 
plantations of bananas and sugar-cane, to the town of 
Orizaba. (For a description of this town, and of the route 
thence to the capital, see Part 11., Cap. XTTT.) 



//. MUNICIPALITY OF MEXICO. 

Site, Climate, History, Statistics. — The City of 
Mexico, in lat. W 26' 5" north, long. 99^ 6' 45" west from 
Greenwich, capital of the Federal district and of the Re- 
public of Mexico, lies nearly in the centre of the Valley 
of Mexico, at an elevation of 7,434 feet above the level 
of the sea. The climate usually is mild, though ranging 
between rather wide summer and winter extremes— SS*^ 
to 90'' in the shade, and 45° to 120° in the sun (Fahren- 
heit). During the winter the " northers " that visit 
Vera Cruz are felt in the capital in a milder form, but 
with sufficient intensity to render a fire — that practi- 
cally is an unobtainable luxury — very desirable. The 
winter climate usually is dry, the rainy season lasting 
usually from June to September. 

Tenochtitlan, the ancient Aztec city, covered (as Mr. 
Bandelier shows) about one-fourth of the area covered 
by the existing City of Mexico. Its centre was the great 
teocalli (temple), on or neai- the site now occupied by the 



74 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

cathedral ; its circumference was about half a mile from 
this centre — that is, about the distance from the ca- 
thedral to the eastern end of the Alameda. Of the num- 
ber of its inhabitants no trustworthy record exists. 
This primitive city was destroyed utterly by the Span- 
iards during and after the siege. 

The Spanish city was founded in the year 1522, the 
first building erected being the atarazanas (naval arsenal), 
in which were guarded the hergantines (see Texcoco) so 
successfully used by Cortes in his final assault upon 
Tenochtitlan. Senor Orozco y Berra was of the opinion 
that this fortified building stood near the site of the pres- 
ent church of San Lazaro. The city increased rapidly 
in size and importance. In 1600 the population con- 
sisted of 7,000 Spaniards and 8,000 Indians ; and the 
value of its real estate was estimated at $20,000,000. 
By 1746 its population was 90,000. The founder of mod- 
ern Mexico was the eccentric but excellent Viceroy Don 
Juan Vicente Giiemes Pacheco, Conde de Eevillagigedo 
(1789-94). When he became Viceroy the city was mean 
and foul beyond all description, unlighted, unpaved, 
and infested by footpads. At the expiration of his short 
term of government it was clean, drained, its principal 
streets paved and lighted, an effective police force estab- 
lished, and the custom of building handsome and sub- 
stantial dwellings firmly established. The census taken 
by order of the Conde de Eevillagigedo showed a popu- 
lation of 112,926 souls. 

From this time onward the city has increased con- 
stantly in size and in the elegance of its buildings, both 
public and private. Of late years, its tendency of growth 
has been northwestward, as witness the handsome sub- 
urbs of Santa Maria, Guerrero, and the Arquitectos. 



MUNICIPALITY OF MEXICO. 75 

For a city of Spanish foundation the streets and side- 
walks are remarkably wide, though the streets, as a rule, 
are ill-paved — notable exceiDtions being the fine pave- 
ments of the streets of San Francisco and Plateros and 
of a part of the Cinco de Mayo. These streets, and the 
Plaza Mayor, are lighted by electric lamps ; elsewhere 
gas and oil lanterns are used. An excellent police sys- 
tem is maintained. Water is provided in abundance by 
two aqueducts and a pipe service, besides which nearly 
500 artesian wells have been sunk. The drainage sys- 
tem — if it can be called a system — is thoroughly and 
radically bad, incorrect in its engineering, and ineffec- 
tive in its results. To this cause is to be attributed the 
constant presence of tj^phoid and consequent great mor- 
tality among the poorer classes. Among the richer 
classes — well-fed, well-clad, well-housed, and, most im- 
portant, seldom living on ground-floors — the disease 
rarely appears. The existing city is about two miles 
and a half square, and has a population (estimated) of 
300,000 souls. 

Diputacion, or Palacio del Ayuntamiento (City 
Hall, M. 132), on the southern side of the Plaza Mayor. 
The site upon which this building stands was set apart, 
when the city was partitioned among the conquerors, as 
that upon which a house should be erected for the use of 
the municipal government ; and by May 10, 1532, the first 
small building was completed and in possession of the 
officials of the new city. In 1564 a larger and more 
imposing building was erected — that was almost totally 
destroj^ed, rather more than a century later, in the great 
riot of June 8, 1692. It remained in this ruinous con- 
dition until October 3, 1720, when the present building 
was begun. The first story, with the fine portales, was 



76 MEXICA]^ GUIDE. 

finished in 1722, and the entire building was completed 
February 4, 1724, at a cost of $67,861. In the council 
chamber is a very interesting collection of portraits of 
the governors of Mexico from the time of Cortes. 

The government of the City of Mexico is vested in an 
Ayuntamiento (city council — as nearly as the word can 
be rendered in English) composed of nineteen regidores 
(approximately, aldermen) and two syndics. The admin- 
istration of municipal affairs is admirable, being at once 
economical, energetic, and effective. The city, at least 
the better portion, is a municipal miracle of cleanliness 
(looking at it from the stand-point of New York) ; the 
police are well disciplined and effective ; the streets are 
very fairly lighted ; the city ordinances are judicious and 
rigorously enforced. Nor is this excellence of municipal 
government peculiar to the capital : it seems to obtain 
in all Mexican cities and towns. 

Mercados (markets). — The largest and most impor- 
tant market of Mexico, the Volador, south of the National 
Palace, occupies a site that was included in the grounds 
of the " new house " of Montezuma, and, therefore, after 
the Conquest was a part of the property of Cortes. The 
land hereabouts was swampy, and for a long while this 
plot was a waste place in the city. Occasionally bull- 
fights took place here in celebration of the crowning of 
a new King of Spain or of the coming to Mexico of a new 
Viceroy ; and here was held the celebrated auto defe (the 
burning being at the usual place, in front of San Diego) 
of April 10, 1649 — one of the most imposing church fes- 
tivals ever held in Mexico. In order to free the Plaza 
Mayor from the encroachments of small shop-keepers, the 
Ayuntamiento decreed, on the 2d of January, 1659, that 
the bakers, fruit-sellers, and pork dealers should be re- 



MUNICIPALITY OF MEXICO. 77 

moved thence to the Plaza de la Universidad — that for 
some unknown reason alwaj's has been known popularly 
as the Volador — and since that time the chief market of 
the city has been established here. For nearly two hun- 
dred years the city rented the land from the heirs of Cor- 
tes. Ill 1837, by purchase from the Duke of Monteleone, 
the city possessed the property in fee for a consideration 
of $70,000. The present arrangement of narrow paved 
alleys between the stalls was completed in January-, 1844. 
From the central portion of the city this is the most ac- 
cessible of the several markets, as well as the most 
characteristic. Besides being worth a visit in itself, pur- 
chases of fruit may be made here to better advantage 
than from the street-vendors — the assortment being 
better and the prices lower. Cargadores always are in at- 
tendance to carry home purchases. The fee for this ser- 
vice should not exceed a medio, or, if the load is large 
or the distance more than ten minutes' walk, a real. The 
other important general markets are : the Merced — oc- 
cupying the site of the monastery of the same name ; 
San Juan, on the site of a still older Indian market ; 
Jesus, and Santa Catarina. 

The Flower Market, in the garden west of the cathe- 
dral, is, in fact, a continuance of the custom of selling 
flowers in the public markets that obtained in Mexico 
before the time of the Conquest. Here is a handsome 
pavilion of iron and glass where Indians bring for sale 
every day great quantities of all manner of lovely flowers. 
There is no fixed tariff of prices, and strangers usually 
are made to pay three or four times as much as resi- 
dents. But even when what are meant to be exorbitant 
prices are demanded, the actual sums are very small in 
comparison with the value received in huge masses of 



78 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

flowers. On principle, however, it is as well tliat stran- 
gers should offer half the price asked, and compromise 
on not more than three-quarters — a good general rule 
for all street-trading in Mexico. 

Portales. — These are arcades through which the side- 
walks pass, the space near the curb, between the pillars 
of the arches, being occupied by vendors of second-hand 
books and all manner of second-hand wares. One of 
the most exciting expeditions to be made in the city — 
supposing the traveller to have a taste for old books or 
bric-a-brac — is a round of these street shops of a Sunday 
or feast-day morning. (The old book-dealers, or the 
majority of them, will be found on week-days also, 
together with some few of the second-hand dealers ; but 
only on a Sunday or feast-day morning will the visitor 
find a complete display.) The more notable portales are 
in the Calles Tlapaleros, Kefugio, and Viejo Coliseo, and 
in the Plaza of Santo Domingo. The Baratillo, and the 
shops adjoining the market of San Juan, also are places 
for shopping of this sort. Near this latter market, the 
second door west from the southwest corner of the 
Calles Sapo and Santisimo, upstairs, is the shop of a 
regular dealer in bric-a-brac, who usually has some good 
things — and who invariably asks three or four prices for 
them. In all dealings of this sort it is a good general 
rule to offer one-quarter, and to pay about one-third, or 
one-half, of the price asked. 

Prisons. — The municipality sustains a small temporary 
lock-up (deposito de detenidos) in the Palace of the Ayun- 
tamiento, and the large city prison — usually containing 
between 4,000 and 5,000 prisoners — of Belen, in the 
southwest suburb. This edifice is of a considerable an- 
tiquity. The college of San Miguel de Belen was found- 



FEDEKAL BUILDINGS. 79 

ed April 25, 1G83, as a school for girls, and was con- 
tinued in this use for nearly two hundred years. In 
September, 1862, the college was closed, the pupils then 
in the institution, one hundred and six, being removed 
to the Vizcainas (which see). A few months later the 
prison of Belen was established. The prison is dirty, 
unhealthy, badly-ordered, and crowded greatly in excess 
of its capacity. 

Hospitals, see Charitable Institutions. 



Ill FEDERAL BUILDINGS. 

Palacio Nacional (National Palace, M. 90). — When 
the lots of partition of the city of Tenochtitlan were drawn 
by the Spanish conquerors, the site now occupied by the 
National Palace fell to the lot of Cortes. Upon it had 
stood before the Conquest the then recently erected 
palace of Montezuma, described by the early chroniclers 
as "Montezuma's new house." Cortes caused to be 
built here a large, low house capped by four flank- 
ing towers. The property was confirmed to him by the 
royal order of July 6, 1529, and he and his heirs contin- 
ued in possession of it until the year 1562, when it was 
bought by the crown and set apart as the Viceroyal resi- 
dence. The primitive building was destroyed in the 
great riots of 1692, in which year the present Palace was 
begun. Since that time additions have been made to it 
as occasion has required, until now the building is the 
largest, and one of the ugliest, in the city. It occupies 
the entire eastern side of the Plaza Mayor — having a 
frontage of six hundred and seventy-five feet. In the 
Palace are housed the following named departments of 



80 MEXICAT^ GUIDE. 

the Federal Government: Presidenc}^ State, Treasury, 
Headquarters of the Army, Archives, Direccion General ; 
also, the Senate, the Post Office, and the Astronomical 
aad Meteorological bureaux ; while two large barracks 
afford accommodations for several regiments. Architect- 
urally, there is little to commend this building save its 
size ; and even this, owing to its utter lack of proportion, 
is extraordinary rather than imposing. It is a mere ag- 
glomeration of parts, having been added to from time 
to time without any regard to continuity or general plan. 
The principal court (patio) is large and of handsome 
construction, as also is the court of the Presidency. The 
Hall of the Ambassadors reproduces the faults of the 
building as a whole : it is very large, but very badly 
proportioned. In it is a notable collection of full- 
length portraits of the prominent leaders of the revolt 
against Spain and of other celebrities, the work of lead- 
ing Mexican artists. Historically, the more notable 
of these portraits are, of Hidalgo, Yturbide, Morelos, 
Guerrero, Matamoras, and Allen de, together with the 
Presidents Arista and Juarez. Artistically, the more im- 
portant are the Hidalgo by J. Ramirez and the Arista 
by Pingi-et. In one of the galleries of the Presidency is 
a fine allegorical picture, "The Constitution," by Petro- 
nilo Monroy, a modern Mexican painter of high stand- 
ing. There also is here the picture by P. Miranda com- 
memorating the battle of the "Cinco de Mayo" (May. 
6, 1862). 

C^mara de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies, K. 
120). Upon the destruction by fire (August 22, 1872) 
of the hall in the National Palace occupied by the lower 
House of Congress, the Yturbide theatre was rented by 
the Federal Government for the temporary use of the 



FEDERAL BUILDINGS. 81 

Deputies. The accommodation afforded by this build- 
ing being excellent, the use of the theatre in this man- 
ner has continued until the present time. The exterior 
of the building has but scant pretensions to elegance. 
The interior has been adapted to its present purpose by 
modifications of the stage and pit, the galleries remain- 
ing unchanged. 

Palacio de Justicia (Federal Court, M. 91), in a por- 
tion of the old convent of the Ensenanza (which see). 

Arzobispado (archiepiscopal palace), northeast comer 
Calles Arzobispado and Seminario, now occupied by the 
department of Internal Kevenue and other Federal offices. 
The building is a very ancient foundation. In the year 
1530, Fray Juan de Zumi'irraga, first Ai'chbishop of Mex- 
ico, began here the building of an episcopal residence ; 
and by the royal order of August 2, 1533, Charles V. 
provided that, inasmuch as the building fund was tithe 
money, the palace should pertain to the Archbishops of 
Mexico and should be lived in by them ** forever and 
ever" (para siempre jamas). The palace was rebuilt in 
1730, and in the year 1800 the present building was com- 
pleted. In 1861 it was declared government property. 

Cludadela (Citadel, R 130), in the southwestern sub- 
urb of the city, near the line of the horse railway to 
Tacubaya ; a large building, inclosing several acres, now 
used as an armory [fdhrica de armas). 

Aduana (Custom House, L. 131), on the eastern side of 
the plazuela of Santo Domingo. The handsome building 
in which this department of the Federal Government is 
housed was erected by the Viceroy Bucareli in the year 
1776. 

Casa de Moneda (Mint, L. 93), in the Calle del Apar- 
tado. Very soon after the Conquest there was established 
6 



82 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

in the City of Mexico an assay office, for the valuation of 
refined silver, and that from the silver might be de- 
ducted the royal tribute. Ingots and bars bearing the 
stamp of this office were permitted to circulate in lieu 
of coin. The need for coin being urgent, it was decreed, 
by a royal order of May 11, 1535, that three mints 
should be established in America : one in Potosi (Bo- 
livia), one in Santa Fe (New Grenada), and one in the 
City of Mexico. In all of these establishments the regu- 
lations regarding coinage were identical with those gov- 
erning the royal mint in Castile. The demand for in- 
creased space led to the removal of the Mint to the 
Viceroyal Palace in 1562, when the building was pur- 
chased by the cro\Yn from the heirs of Cortes ; and in 
1569 it was estabhshed beside the royal treasury. The 
pressure upon it increased constantly, and in 1729 a 
new and much larger building became necessary. The 
plans were prepared by Don Nicolas Peinado in 1730 ; 
were approved by a royal order of August 2, 1731, and 
the work was completed in 1731. The original estimates 
of cost were $206,000 ; the actual cost was $554,600. At 
this period the coining was farmed, much more to the 
interest of the farmers than to the interest of the govern- 
ment — for which reason, in 1733, the government took 
the coining into its own hands. As the Mint necessarily 
had to deal with a business that increased with great 
rapidity, a new enlargement became necessary in less 
than half a century — the work being completed between 
1772 and 1782 at a cost of $449,893. After the erection 
of Mexico into a Kepublic branch mints were established 
in several of the silver-producing centres, with the result 
of greatly diminishing the demands upon the establish- 
ment in the capital. Part of the building was used by 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 83 

the government for other purposeH, and the machinery 
was Buffered to become antifjuated and worn. With a 
view to restoring the Mint to a state of efficiency, the 
money required for the purchase of new machinery 
twice was appropriated — but, somehow, the new machin- 
ery was not bought ! By way of radical remedy, the 
government reverted to the Viceroyal custom of farming 
the coinage. By the act of February 2.'3, 1847, the coin- 
age was leased, and the stipulation was made that it 
should be carried on in the building that the Mint now 
occupies. In 1850 this removal was effected, and coin 
issued under the new arrangement July 1st of the same 
year. The greater part of the machinery then put in was 
bought in England. In August, 18G5, improved stamps 
were imported from the United States, and in February, 
1866, the beautiful coins of the Empire were issued. 
About $3,000,000 of the Imperial money passed into 
circulation, almost all of which was recoined after the 
Empire fell. Senor Garcia Cubas places the total coin- 
age of the Mint of Mexico between the time of its es- 
tablishment and the year 1883, at : gold, $81,859,873 ; 
silver, $2,261,334,899. 



IV. PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 

Biblioteca Nacional (National Library, V. 102. Free. 
Open daily, feast-days excepted, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). 
The building in which the Library is housed, once the 
Church of San Agustin (which see), is massive, of mag- 
nificent proportions, and both inside and out its archi- 
tectural features are very fine. In common with all 
Spanish- American churches, its mass is admirable ; and 



84 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

in this case the columns, basso-relievos, friezes, and 
other embellishments, are executed in excellent taste. 
Particularly to be noted is the fine basso-relievo of San 
Agustin, over the main portal. The building has upon 
its north and west sides an ornamental garden sur- 
rounded by a high iron railing, the iron posts being sur- 
mounted by portrait busts of the following named Mexi- 
can celebrities : poets, Manuel Carpio, Francisco Manuel 
Sanchez de Tagie, Jose Joaquin Pesado, Fray Manuel 
Navarrete, and Netzahualcoyotl ; dramatist, Manuel 
Eduardo Gorostiza ; historians, Fernando A. Tezozomoc, 
Fernando A. Ixtlilxochitl, Francisco Javier Clavijero, 
Mariano Veytia, Lucas Alaman, and Fernando Ramirez ; 
jurist, Manuel de la Pena y Pefia ; philologist, Fray 
Juan Crisostomo Najera ; humanist, Carlos Sigiienza y 
Gongora ; naturalist, Jose A. Alzate ; chemist, Leopold© 
Rio de la Loza ; Joaquin Cardoso, Jose Maria Lafragua. 
Facing the garden, from a niche in the western wall of 
the Library, is a large statue of Minerva. 

In the north front a noble portal, guarded by a 
wrought-iron gate, gives entrance to the marble-paved 
vestibule. From the pavement rises a line of Ionic col- 
umns, supporting the arches of the old choir; and 
through these arched ways the spacious nave of the 
building is entered — a magnificent hall, along the sides 
of which rise slender pilasters, supporting the rich cornice 
whence spring the arches of the vaulted roof. Between 
the pilasters formerly were the openings into the several 
chapels ; these openings now are walled up, and the 
chapels form a series of alcoves parallel with the nave 
and connected with each other by door- ways cut through 
their dividing walls. Ample light is obtained from 
windows above the cornice, and from a noble window in 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 85 

the apse — in front of which is displayed a colossal cast 
in plaster, admirably modelled, of the arms of the Re- 
public. Balancing this work, a fine statue of Time, also 
colossal, stands in an open arch above the choir. Ranged 
on pedestals along the walls of the great nave are colos- 
sal statues of the following named fathers of learning : 
Valmiki, Confucius, Isaiah, Homer, Plato, Aristophanes, 
Cicero, Virgil, St. Paul, Origen, Dante, Alarcon, Coper- 
nicus, Descartes, Cuvier and Humboldt. On each side 
of the entrance are medallion portraits, the one of Jua- 
rez, by whom was issued the decree ordering the estab- 
lishment of the Library ; the other of Antonio Martinez 
de Castro, the Minister of Justice by whom the decree 
received its official authorization. Annexed to the prin- 
cipal building is the old chapel of the Tercer Orden, 
used at present as a storehouse for unclassified books. 
This quaint edifice, in shape a Greek cross, contrasts 
very effectively with the majestic mass and elegant de- 
tails of the Library building proper. 

The Library, containing upward of 150,000 volumes, 
is composed mainly of books which were removed from 
the libraries of the several monasteries in accordance 
with the operation of the Laws of the Reform. It has 
f/Jso, notwithstanding its recent foundation, a consider- 
able collection of standard and current works in Spanish, 
French, English and German — a collection that is in- 
creased annually by judicious purchases. Naturally, 
its source being remembered, its strongest departments 
are theology and Church histor}', in both of which it is 
very rich ; and it is scarcely less rich in the department 
of Spanish- American history — which, indeed, during its 
first and second centuries, is little more than Church his- 
tory under another name. The labor of organizing and 



86 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

digesting the chaotic mass of books here brought to- 
gether has been very great ; nor is it yet ended. Al- 
read}^ however, enough has been accomphshed to place 
at the easy disposition of students one of the most im- 
portant collections of books on the Continent ; and 
earnest is given by this hard work well done that what 
remains to be accomplished will be not less satisfactory. 
All students who require the use of this Library have 
cause for profound gratitude to its librarian, by whom 
order has been drawn fi'om confusion, and by whom 
every facility and coiu*tesy is afforded for eai*nest work, 
Don Jose Maria Yigil. 

Other Libraries of importance in the city are : Cinco 
de Mayo, in the old chui'ch of the Betlemitas, a free 
library open daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and (feast-days 
excepted) from 3 to 7 p.m., containing 9,000 volumes ; 
Escuela Preparatoria, 8,000 volumes ; Escuela de Juris- 
prudencia, 14,000 volumes, and Escuela de Ingenieros, 
7,000 volumes. Each Dei:)artment of state, the National 
Museum, the Academy of the Fine Ai'ts, the several col- 
leges and scientific societies, possess hbraries adapted to 
their several needs. There are also circulating libraries 
(see p. 30). In the Palacio Nacional are fourteen rooms 
filled with the National archives. 

Academia de Bellas A rtes (Academy of the Fine 
Arts, O. 103. Open daily from 12 to 3 p. m. Sundays, 
9 A.M. to 1 p.M ). In the year 1529, the eminent Francis- 
can, Fray Pedro de Gante, founded the College of San 
Juan de Letran, in which he established departments 
of music and painting. This was the parent art school 
of Mexico, and from it came some of Mexico's greatest 
painters. Alcibai*, Vallejo, the four painters Juarez, 
and other eminent artists of the sixteenth and seven- 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 87 

teentli centuries, probably received their early training, 
or some part of it, in this institution. It is probable 
that the instructor in painting during the early years of 
Fray Pedro de Gante's school was the Spanish artist 
Rodrigo de Cifuentes who, according to tradition, ar- 
rived in New Sj)ain as early as 1523, and by whom por- 
traits of Cortes were painted. Another notable arrival 
from Spain — near the end of the sixteenth century — was 
the artist Alonzo Vazquez, by whom the *'Purisima" 
(now in the possession of the Academy) was painted. 

By a royal order of March 15, 1778, Charles III. com- 
missioned Don Ger6nimo Antonio Gil jDrincipal engraver 
to the Mexican mint ; and in this same order Senor Gil 
was charged to found in Mexico a school of engraving 
that should be under his direction. The school was 
duly opened in the then recently enlarged Mint in May, 
1779, four free scholarships being given by the Govern- 
ment. The existence of the school caused the director 
of the Mint, Don Fernando Mangino, to propose to the 
Viceroy, Don Martin de Mayorga, the establishment of 
an academy of the three noble arts, painting, sculpture, 
and architecture ; and, the approval of the Viceroy being 
given, September 12, 1781, classes were begun on the 
4th of November of the same year — pending the project 
of founding an academy of the fine arts, a matter of such 
moment that it required reference to the crown. By 
the royal order of December 25, 1783, the King's aj)- 
proval was accorded, and license was given for founding 
the existing institution under the name of the Academia 
de las Nobles Artes de San Carlos de la Nueva Espaiia ; 
and with much ceremony the Academy formally was 
opened November 4, 1785. The Academy at this time 
was housed in the rooms previously appointed for the 



88 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

use of the school of engraving in the Mint. Its first 
professors, sent from Spain, were the architect Don An- 
tonio Velasquez, aiul the painter Jose Oines de Aguirre 
— by whom the five pictures in the baptistry of the 
Sagnirio were painted. So great and so constantly did 
the pressure for admission to the classes increase that in 
ft short time the need of larger quarters compelled the 
vacation of the rooms set apju't for the Academy in the 
Mint. For temporary accommodation the Council of the 
institution hired the vacant hospital of Amor de Dios, 
and thitlier, in September, 1791, the Academy was re- 
moved. The hospital building proving to be better 
adapted to the needs of the institution than had been 
anticipated, the temporary abiding place was accepted 
as a permanent home. In the same yem' that this re- 
moval was effected, there came from Spain to be pro- 
fessoi*s in the Academy the eminent ai'cliitect Don Man- 
uel Tolsa, and the not less eminent painter Don l\:ifael 
Jimeno ; and a still further good fortune was the gift 
brought bv Tolsa from King Chai'les III. of the verv 
fine collection of casts from the antique, a gift tliat cost 
his majesty $40,000. The result of this conjunction of 
favoring circumstances was greatly to increase the scope 
and usefulness of tlie institution, so that its most effec- 
tive work was accomplished during the ensuing nineteen 
veal's. Unfortunatelv, tlie troublous times of the revolt 
against Spain brought this prosperous season abruptly 
to an end. In 1810 its endowment fund became ex- 
hausted, and, after struggling for an existence for eleven 
years longer, it finally was closed in the yeai* 1821. A 
small fund was provided by the Ayuntamiento that en- 
abled the Council to resume the classes in February, 1824, 
and until 1843 these were continued with more or less 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 89 

regularity. In 1843 a season of good fortune once more 
began. By the decree of December 16th of that year 
the Academy was permitted to receive the proceeds from 
a lottery, and these were so considerable that the Council 
was able to purchase outright the building that until 
then had been rented, together with two small buildings 
adjacent, and to make very decided improvements in tlio 
property thus acquired. While the alterations were in 
progress the classes and galleries were closed. Toward 
the end of 184G new professors were brought over from 
Spain, and January G, 1847, the Academy once more was 
formally opened. Since this period the institution has 
experienced various vicissitudes of fortune, but has con- 
tinued its useful work with excellent results. 

The galleries of the Academy, admirably lighted, con- 
tain some very notable works of art. The first and sec- 
ond galleries are reserved for paintings by native artists, 
or artists who have identified themselves with Mexico. 
Among the more famous of these are the elder rnd 
younger Echave, Sebastian de Arteaga, Luis Juarez, 
Jos6 Juarez, Juan Rodriguez Juarez (called " the Mex- 
ican Apelles "), Nicolas Juarez, Antonio Rodriguez, Nico- 
las Correa, Nicolas Enriquez, Antonio Vallejo, Jos'^IbaiTa, 
Carlos Villalpando, Miguel Cabrera, Jose Alcibar. In 
judging the works of these artists it is by no means just 
to apply to them the standard of the present day. As 
Senor Garcia Cubas very justly observes: "Surprise 
should not be felt that during the seventeenth and eight- 
eenth centuries, the golden age of Mexican art, our artists 
should have confined their conceptions solely to religious 
subjects ; for the fact must be remembered that their 
own faith inspired them, and their richest, almost their 
only, patron was the Church. The style that they adopted 



90 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

was the only style suitable for the edifices which their 
pictures were painted to adorn." Seiior Garcia Cubas 
might have added that at the present time, when realism 
is carried to an excess in all branches of art, there is found 
great relief as well as great pleasure in the contemplation 
of this collection of paintings, intrinsically good, full of 
sentiment and feeling, and animated by a lofty ideal. 

The third gallery is devoted to pictures representative 
of the European schools. Among the more notable art- 
ists represented are : Murillo, a replica of the San Juan 
de Dios in the church of the Caridad in Seville (there 
are two other pictures ascribed — and probably justly — 
to Murillo in Mexico : " The Virgin of Bethlehem," in the 
cathedral of the capital, and the " Purisima," in the cathe- 
dral of Guadalajara) ; Zurbaran, Eivera (Spagnoletto), 
Leonardo da Vinci (possibly), " The Seven Virtues " ; 
Guido Reni, *' Santa Barbara " and " Santa Catarina " ; 
Guercino, " Santa Catalina de Sena " ; Pietro de Cor- 
tona, "Virgin and Child " ; a " Saint Sebastian," attrib- 
uted to Vandyke ; two small pictures attributed to the 
elder Teniers ; a '* St. John the Baptist," by Ingres. 

The fourth and fifth galleries contain pictures by mod- 
ern Mexican painters, worthy of careful study. Other 
galleries are devoted to prints and architectural drawings, 
a collection of coins, a fine library (the latter in the 
council-room, where are also two notable pictures — the 
" Roman Catacombs," of Charles Vernet, and a " Mar- 
tyrdom of San Lorenzo," by Josu Juarez). 

The galleries of sculpture are in the lower story, among 
the best works by native sculptors being the several 
plasters by Vilar. The class rooms, in drawing, painting 
and engraving, are on the first floor, well lighted and 
well arranged. 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 91 

Museo Nacional (National Museum, open daily, Sat- 
urdays excepted, from 10 a.m. to 12 m., M. 92), in the 
portion of the National Palace formerly occupied by the 
Mint, fronting on the Calle de Moneda. The existing 
large and most interesting collection is the outgrowth of 
what for many years was a neglected department of the 
University. There, in two rooms and a courtyard, were 
exhibited the antiquities discovered from time to time 
about the city, together with some specimens of natural 
history, a few historic portraits, and other matters of in- 
terest, the whole being presided over by a single zealous 
but sadly underpaid curator. When the University was 
extinguished, in 1865, the collection was ordered to be 
removed to the building that it now occupies ; but as this 
building then was utterly unsuited to its needs — being 
even yet in process of adaptation — everything was stored 
until the necessary alterations could be made. With 
various interruptions, these alterations have been in prog- 
ress for a number of years, and although much still re- 
mains to be accomplished the work is now so far advanced 
that the rich collections may be seen to fair advantage. 
A most marked improvement has been made in the pres- 
ent year in the completion of the south gallery on the 
ground floor, in which the greater number of heavy pieces 
are to be displayed. The so-called " calendar stone " still 
remains embedded in the western tower of the cathedral, 
but this also will take its place in the Museum in due 
time. 

The Museum is divided into two sections : Natural 
History, and Antiquities. The first of these, subdivided 
into the departments of mineralogy, palaeontology, zo- 
ology, and botany, can only be described as a fairly good 
but very small beginning of the great work of represent- 



92 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

ing adequately the manifold natural products of Mexico. 
The department of Antiquities is a veritable treasure- 
house, upon the organization of which has been expended, 
with obviously satisfactory results, a vast amount of in- 
telligent labor and thought. It includes a very curious 
and important collection of prehistoric remains : arms and 
devices, utensils, jewels and ornaments, idols, imitative 
heads, picture-writings, and so forth, related to ancient 
Mexicans ; together with portraits and relics associated 
with the history of the country subsequent to the Con- 
quest. 

The Stone of the Sun. — The laborious investigations of 
Antonio de Leon y Gama resulted in giving to this block 
the erroneous name of the ** Aztec Calendar Stone." The 
history of the stone and its present name were estab- 
lished successively by Seuor Chavero and by Dr. Valen- 
tini. From the facts known concerning it, Mr. Bande- 
lier * infers " that the Stone of the Sun was originally 
placed on one of the artificial mounds in the centre of 
the Indian pueblo of Mexico [Tenochtitlan], and that it 
served as the base of the smaller perforated stone to 
which the victim was tied, and that upon the two stones 
the gladiatorial sacrifice was performed." Specimens 
of the smaller stones here referred to will be found in 
the large south galler}' of the Museum. They are very 
like smiill mill-stones. A block of this kind and size, 
with a rope passed through it and fastened to the ankle 
or even around the body of a man, would be of sufficient 
weight to hold him fast, unless he was of gigantic 
strength ; but two men easily could lift it, to fasten or 

* " Rex>ort of an Arcli»ological Tour in Mexico in 1881,'' by A. F. 
Bandelier. Piiblislied for the Arclirpological Institute of America 
by Cupples, Upham & Co., Boston, 1884. 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 93 

replace the cord. These stones sometimes are called 
tcnialacall. In regard to the carvings upon the Stone of 
the Sun, the following parts of them are ascertained be- 
yond all doubt : The central figure, representing the 
Bun, and perhaps the year also ; the twenty figures 
I^laced in a circle around it, representing the twenty 
days of the Mexican month ; the date, 13 th acatl^ cor- 
responding with 1479 A.D., above the head of the sun on 
the rim or border. Sefior Chavero and Dr. Valentini 
have carried the interpretation further, but their inter- 
pretation requires confirmation. 

The Idol HuUzilopochlli (called also Teoyaomiqui). 
This huge idol of porphyritic basalt, nearly nine feet 
high, stands in the main court {patio) of the Museum. 
It is covered with carvings almost to overloading. How- 
ever well executed some of them are when taken singly, 
their combination is devoid of symmetry. The general 
effect is appalling, presenting a most hideous agglomer- 
ation of repulsive forms. The two faces of this sculpture 
are not alike. Antonio do Leon y Gama adopts the 
view that one represents a male, the other a female 
figure ; and calls the rear figure Huitzilopochtli and the 
front Teoyaomiqui, stating that the latter was the for- 
mer's companion. By an exhaustive examination of orig- 
inal authorities Mr. Bandelier finds that not one of the 
older writers upon Mexico mentions an idol or deity 
called Teoyaomiqui ; and by a close chain of eliminative 
reasoning he arrives at the conclusion that this figure 
was " the well known war god of the Mexican tribe, 
Huitzilopochtli ; and that, consequently, it was the fam- 
ous principal idol of aboriginal Mexico, or Tenochtitlan." 

The Sacrificial Stone, also in the patio of the Museum. 
The late archaeologist and historian, Don Manuel Orozco 



94 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

y Berra, has written at great length upon this relic,* 
showing that it is at once a votive and commemorative 
monument celebrating the victories of the chief Tizoc 
over the tribes represented by the figures carved upon 
the circumference of the cjdinder. These figures, dis- 
posed in groups of two, represent conqueror and con- 
quered ; the victor holding the vanquished by the hair, 
the latter holding a bunch of inverted arrows. In the 
panel in which each of these groups is carved is seen, 
near the back of the prisoner's head, the phonetic sym- 
bol of the name of his tribe. The effigy of the sun, 
carved upon the upper surface, indicates that the work 
as a whole is a votive offering to that deity. Seiior Oroz- 
co y Berra placed the date (accepted also by Senor Gar- 
cia Cubas) of the construction of this monument be- 
tween the years 1481-86. Mr. Bandelier accepts his 
conclusions in regard to the character of the sculpture 
and its general purpose ; but does not accept the date 
that he assigns to it, nor his interpretation of the carv- 
ings. In writing of the two known (by existing speci- 
mens) varieties of sacrificial stones, techcatl and cuauhxi- 
calliy Mr. Bandelier affirms that this stone "has been 
thoroughly identified as belonging to the last named 
variety." He adds: "It is circular, and its distinguish- 
ing features are the cup-shaped concavity in the centre, 
and the channel which runs therefrom to the outer rim." 
Seiior Bamirez (quoted by Senor Garcia Cubas) explains 
that when the stone was dug up in the Plaza, near the 
cathedral (December 17, 1791), it was considered too 
heavy to move, and was ordered to be broken up that it 

* " El Cuauhxicalli de Tizoc," Anales del Museo Nacional^ vol. i., 
No. 1. 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 95 

might be used for paving stones — as was done with 
many similar reUcs ; and that the process of cutting 
actually was begun, as the channel cut in it shows, but 
was stopped by the Canon Gamboa, who happened then 
to pass that way, and who ordered the stone to be pre- 
served. It is obvious that in regard to this relic there 
is a trifling clashing of facts and opinions. 

Tlie Indio Triste (the Sad Indian), in the south gallery. 
Mr. Brantz Mayer was the first observer to point out the 
true meaning of this curious statue. He wrote : "This 
figure probably was set on the wall or at the portal of 
some edifice, and in its hand was erected a banner or 
insignia of command." In the most satisfactory manner 
Mr. Bandelier has verified this shrewd inference. He 
quotes from the writings of Fray Juan de Tobar this 
portion of the description of the place of worship of 
Huitzilopochtli : "It had on the toj)S of the chambers 
and rooms where the idols were a handsome balcony [or 
balustrade] made of many small stones as black as jet, 
set with much regularity, so as to form a field checkered 
black and white, very conspicuous from below ; over this 
balcony there rose turret-like battlements, and on the 
top of the pillars were two Indians of stone, seated, with 
candlesticks in their hands." Mr. Bandelier therefore 
concludes : " I have unhesitatingly accepted the Indio 
Triste as a torch-bearer of stone — consequently as a mere 
ornament, without any direct relations to worship what- 
ever." This piece of sculpture was dug up in the street 
(now called the Calle del Indio Triste) in the year 1828. 
How it came by its present name is not of record ; nor 
can any good reason for it be found. A merrier little 
smack-chops of an Indian never was put into stone. 

Two colossal heads of snakes, in the south gallery. 



96 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Surrounding the cluster of mounds of worship in the 
pueblo of Tenochtitlan was a wall composed of colossal 
heads of serpents carved in stone. Sen or Garcia Cubas, 
by whom these interesting relics were discovered, has 
shown that they were a part of the ancient cohuatepantli, 
or snake-wall. The stones were found beneath one of 
the columns of the first cathedral (razed in the year 1572) 
having been used as a part of the foundation. They 
were buried again, and were rediscovered by Seiior 
Garcia Cubas when the garden south and west of the 
cathedral was made in 1881.* 

Coiled serpent, in the south gallery ; a serpent coiled 
in pjTamidal form, its body covered with feathers, carved 
in basaltic porphyry. As is pointed out by Seiior Garcia 
Cubas, this fantastic effigy is found repeated in many of 
the ancient Mexican monuments, often of colossal size. 
It is received as the symbol of one of the oldest and 
most famous divinities of the American pantheon ; 
American, because it is found, but slightly modified, in 
all parts of the continent. In this myth is j)reserved (in 
Mexico, and regions south of that country, certainly) the 
memory of a mysterious white and bearded personage 
who taught a strict and pure morality ; who brought 
the knowledge of the sciences and arts ; who is regarded 
as having been at once the priest and the civilizer of the 
peoi^le. Naturally, among a semi-barbarous people, this 
personage, possessing such god-like attributes, as time re- 
moved the memory of his personality, became a divinit}'. 
The Peruvians called him Manco-Capac ; the Muiscas, 

* Tliere is strong reason for believing that many more Aztec 
relics remain buried in this vicinity. When the garden east of 
the cathedral was made (October, 1885) an important sculptured 
stone was found. 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 97 

Bochica ; the Yucatanos, Kukulcan ; the Mexicans, Quet- 
zalcoatl. The Christian missionaries, astonished at find- 
ing among a semi-barbarous and heathen people traces 
of a pure system of morahty, and of customs very Uke 
those of Christianity, fancied that this mysterious per- 
sonage must have been either one of the Disciples of 
Christ, or one taught directly by Him or His Apostles, 
"vvho had come to preach the true faith in the new world. 
Several Mexican writers (notably the celebrated Dr. 
Mier, in his address before the Spanish Academy) demon- 
strated to their own satisfaction that he was no other 
than the Apostle Saint Thomas — an important feature of 
their argument being that in Spanish Quetzalcoatl is ren- 
dered Tomus. Senor Orozco y Berra was the first to draw 
attention to the rather awkward conjunction of facts that 
this supposed Saint Thomas figured in Mexican history 
about the tenth century of our era, while the genuine 
Saint Thomas undeniably belonged in the first. Sefior 
Orozco y Berra makes the very reasonable suggestion 
that the mysterious personage may have been a Christian 
missionary from Iceland. The significance of quetzal-coall 
Senor Garcia Cubas shows, is '' serpent of quetzalli." The 
word quetzalli anciently had a variety of significations, 
though all partaking of the same general nature. Its 
root is quetzal, meaning a species of bird-of-paradise — 
though applied especially to the two long and brilliant 
tail-feathers of that bird, that constituted one of the prin- 
cipal articles of tribute paid to the Mexican chiefs. From 
this direct meaning its metaphorical use as descriptive of 
anything very precious naturally followed — and thus it be- 
came applied to the man-god, Quetzalcoatl. Besides this 
very fine and perfect specimen, the Museum possesses 
many specimens, large and small, of the serpent symbol. 
7 



98 MEXICAT^" GUIDE. 

God of Fire, also called Cliac-Mool (two specimens), in 
southern gallery. The larger of these two figures — a re- 
cumbent colossal figure, holding over the navel with both 
hands a round disk with narrow rim — was exhumed by 
Dr. and Mrs. Le Plongeon at Chichen-Itza, in Yucatan. 
By them it was described as a personal monument, or 
sepulchral statue, and was given the name of Chac-Mool. 
From the fact that at least three other similar figures 
have been discovered in other parts of Mexico — one of 
which is the smaller figure near it, found in the State 
of Tlaxcala — the name, and the theory that are thus 
advanced, do not seem to be tenable. Seiior Chavero 
has advanced the more probable suggestion that the fig- 
ure represents the God of Fire, and that the disk held 
in its hands is the emblem of the sun. Very bitter con- 
troversies have raged, and still are raging, over the up- 
turned stomach of this defenceless stone image, the chief 
point at issue being whether it was, or was not, an idol. 
Without venturing into the arena of this painful discus- 
sion, at least this much of Mr. Bandelier's remarks con- 
cerning the figure — being also an admirable criticism of 
early Mexican stone-work — may be quoted in safety : 
"I have already alluded," he writes, "to the imperfec- 
tions of aboriginal art in Mexico. While many of the 
faces and heads are well done, particularly those of clay, 
this excellence very rarely, if ever, extends to the other 
parts of the body. On the contrary, there is always a 
certain disproportion and consequent lack of harmony. 
The Chac-Mool, which (excepting, perhaps, the Indio 
Triste) is the best of all, still shows strange defects in 
the proportions of its lower limbs. The same is true in 
regard to the figures of animals. Quadrupeds are mostly 
rude in shape ; still I have seen more than one head of a 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 99 

tiger which is fairly executed. Birds are always mon- 
sters, the workmen being unable to overcome the dif- 
ficulty of rendering the plumage ; but all simple forms 
like snakes, turtles, frogs, and reptiles general^, seem to 
be well imitated. Thus the head, coils, and rattles of the 
rattlesnake are excellent. Fishes are poorly represented ; 
and plants, which occur rarely except as leaves and sin- 
gle flowers, are mostly of stiff, conventional tj'-pes. The 
art of sculjDture in aboriginal Mexico, while considerably 
above that of the Northern Village Indians, is still not 
superior to the remarkable carvings on ivory and wood 
of the tribes of the Northwest coast, and often bears a 
marked resemblance to them." 

In addition to these more important objects, the south 
gallery contains numerous other objects in stone deserv- 
ing careful attention. In the upper floor of the Museum 
are several galleries containing smaller objects. The col- 
lection of arms and weapons is excellent, and may be 
studied to especial advantage in connection with Mr. Ban- 
delier's exceedingly interesting " Art of War and Mode of 
"Warfare of the Ancient Mexicans " ; and to like advantage 
may be studied the less complete (for lack of space, not 
for lack of material) collection of objects illustrative of 
house life, articles of dress, and tools, in connection with 
his " Social Organization and Mode of Government of 
the Ancient Mexicans." * The most famous of the pic- 
ture-writings here preserved is that believed to represent 
the migrations of the Aztec tribes. The most interesting 
personal relic of the vanquished race is the shield of 
Montezuma 11. 

* Persons conversant with Spanish will find still more ample in- 
formation on these heads in the scholarly " Historia Antigua y de 
la Conquista de Mexico " by the late Sr. Lie. Manuel Orozco y Berra, 



100 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

In the historical section of the Museum will be found 
another and not less interesting class of objects. Of these 
may be mentioned : the standard raised by Hidalgo, 
September 16, 1810 — the picture of the Virgin of Guada- 
lupe from the Santuario de Atotonilco ; the stole, gun, 
cane, silk handkerchief and chair once belonging to the 
liberator-priest ; the Standard of the Conquest, the red 
damask flag carried by the Conquerors ; a portrait of 
Cortes ; arms and armor of the time of the Conquest, 
including the helmet and breast-plate belonging to Pe- 
dro de Alvarado ; portraits of the Viceroys ; silver table- 
service belonging to the Emperor Maximilian (the state 
coach of this unlucky emperor is preserved in one of the 
lower rooms) ; and various other objects intimately con- 
nected with the persons of those most notable in Mexi- 
can history. 

An excellent descriptive catalogue (in Spanish) of the 
possessions of the Museum has been prepared by its Di- 
rector, Senor Gumesindo Mendoza, assisted by Professor 
Jesus Sanchez. The work, in spite of very serious ob- 
stacles, that Senor Mendoza has done in assembling and 
organizing the materials of the Museum cannot be too 
warmly praised. 



V. RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 

Befoee the separation from Spain, almost every public 
institution in the Province was a religious foundation — 
schools, hospitals, asylums, even the principal theatre 
of the city : all had their origin in the church. As the 
term is used here, however, its meaning is restricted to 
churches, and to estabhshments of which a church was the 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 101 

principal or a very prominent part. Yet as a church was 
a part of ahnost ever^'thing in that earlier time, a few of 
the churches of the city are not included in the follow- 
ing list, but are treated of in connection with the build- 
ings to which they pertained. In the general index will 
be found the names of all the churches in the cit}^ in al- 
phabetical order. 

The Cathedral. The Bishopric of Mexico was erect- 
ed by Pope Clement VII. in 1527. On the 12th of Decem- 
ber of that year. Fray Juan de Zumurraga was presented 
to the Pope as Bishop of Mexico, by Charles V. ; and 
in December of the year ensuing he arrived in the 
city with the title of Bishop Elect and Protector of the 
Indians. He was confirmed in his position by the bull 
of September 2, 1530. The Archbishopric was erected 
by Pope Paul 11., January 31, 1545, when Bishop) Zu- 
marraga was raised to the Archiepiscopate. 

The Cathedral, the Holy Metropolitan Church of Mex- 
ico, consecrated as the Church of the Asuncion de Maria 
Santisima, is built upon or near the site of the great 
Aztec temple (teocalli) that the Spaniards destroyed 
when the city was conquered in 1521. Upon the jDarti- 
tion of the city this site was set apart, that upon it 
should be built a Christian church ; and the church, a 
very small one, actually was built pre\dously to the year 
1524. It was replaced, in a few years, by the first cathe- 
dral ; a small edifice, in fact, but spoken of with great 
admiration by contemporaneous chroniclers. Philip II., 
desiring to place here a larger and more stately struc- 
ture, sought and obtained permission from Clement VH., 
to destroy this first cathedral that the second might be 
begun. The first stone of the existing building was 
laid in the year 1573 ; but in order to preserve the older 



102 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

structure until the new one should be sufficiently ad- 
vanced for services to be held in it, the new cathedral 
was begun a little to the northward of the old one. 
The site of the first Christian church in the City of 
Mexico, therefore, is the open space (atrium) in front of 
the present cathedral. The more important dates in the 
history of the existing building are : 1573, corner-stone 
laid ; 1615, foundations and part of the walls completed ; 
1623, sacristy under roof ; 1626 first service held in 
sacristy — where services were held until 1641 ; 1629- 
1635, work stopped by the great inundation of that per- 
iod ; February 2, 1656, dedication — the interior of the 
building still being incomplete ; December 22, 1667, 
final dedication. Completion of the towers, 1791. Be- 
tween the years 1573 and 1667 the cost of the work was 
$17,52,000. With the cost of the towers ($190,000), of 
work upon the interior, of the bells (the great bell, alone 
costing $10,000) the entire cost of the work was about 
$2,000,000. The great bell, 19 feet high, in the western 
tower, is named Santa Maria de Guadalupe. It was 
placed in position in the year 1792. The larger of the 
bells in the eastern tower is named Dona Maria. 

Exclusive of the very thick walls, the building meas- 
ures 387 feet from north to south ; 177 feet from east to 
west, and has an interior height of 179 feet. It is built 
of stone. The fayade, at the sides of which rise the 
towers, is divided by massive buttresses into three por- 
tals, which, in turn, are separated by cornices into two 
divisions — the first, Doric, very elegant by reason of its 
correct proportions ; the second, Ionic, confused and 
unsatisfactory. The basso-relievos, statues, friezes, bases 
and capitals are of white marble, making a harmonious 
color effect with the gray stone. The towers (203 ft. 6 



KELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 103 

in. high) are in two divisions, the lower Doric and the 
upper Ionic, this last finished with very beautiful archi- 
tectural details, and the crown of each is a bell-shaped 
dome capped by spheres and crosses of stone. The cor- 
nices of the towers, as well as the cornices elsewhere 
upon the building, are surmounted by balustrades of 
carved stone upon which, disposed at regular intervals, 
are carved stone vases. The cornices immediately be- 
neath the domes of the towers serve as pedestals for 
colossal stone statues of the Doctors of the Church and 
the Patriarchs of the Monastic Orders ; and those of the 
central portal, occupied by the clock, are pedestals for 
statues of the Theological Virtues with their attributes. 
Beneath the clock are blazoned the arms of the Republic 
— a modern innovation that emphasizes the controlHng 
attitude of the State toward the Church. Above the 
whole, as seen from the southern side of the Plaza, rises 
the dome, surmounted by its slender, graceful lantern, 
the work of the architect Tolsa. The architect of the 
work as a whole was Alonzo Perez Castaneda. 

A garden, the beauty of which is by no means so great 
as to justify its existence, has been made in modern 
times from a portion of the atrium, thus reducing the 
actual atrium to miserable dimensions ; and the massive 
iron chains, swung upon 124 stone posts, which origin- 
ally inclosed the atrium (and remnants of which may be 
seen at the outer corners of the garden) have been re- 
placed by an unsightly railing of iron that cuts the lines 
of the building and so materially lessens the architectural 
effect. From the standpoint of the architect, also, the 
tree-planted Garden of the Zocalo, in the centre of the 
Plaza, is a great mistake — forcing the observer desirous 
of obtaining an unobstructed view of the front to come 



104 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

much closer to it than the requirements of good per- 
spective will allow. 

The interior of the cathedral, in the Doric style, with 
traces of the Gothic which marked the Spanish architec- 
ture of the sixteenth century, is almost severe in its sim- 
plicity. It is marred by its wooden floor, by its modern 
altars constructed in direct violation of the general de- 
sign, by the inartistic iron gratings which have replaced 
the beautifully carved w^ooden gratings inclosing the 
chapels, and by a general lack of suitable decoration ; 
furtlier, the position of the choir (in accordance with the 
Spanish custom) in the middle of the nave greatly lessens 
what otherwise would be a very imposing and majestic 
interior etlcct. The aisles are divided from the nave by 
20 fluted columns which support the light and elegant 
vaulted roof. The central arches form a Latin cross, 
above which rises the fine dome. Within the dome are 
paintings in tempera, representing the Assumption of the 
Virgin and groups of the principal characters of sacred 
history. Outside of the aisles are rows of chapels, seven 
on each side of the building. The main altar, erected in 
1850 after designs by Lorenzo Hidalga — a work that jars 
upon the prevailing simplicity of design, and that is de- 
cidedly inferior to the structure that it replaced — is 
raised upon a pedestal of four steps to the height of the 
choir. A vast amount of money was spent upon this 
work — with very unsatisfactory results. The choir oc- 
cupies the space between the third and fifth pairs of 
columns of the nave. It is inclosed in front by a hand- 
some railing (of tumbago, a composite metal of gold, 
silver and copper) made in Macao — as were also the 
railings of the tribunal of the choir, of the passageway 
between the altar and the choir, and the pedestal 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 105 

of the altar. The stalls are riclily carved in wood, and 
above them is to be obseired a painting by the Mexican 
aftist Juan Correa : the Immaculate Conception. Two 
organs, in carved cases, rise from the lateral tribunals to 
the height of the arches of the aisles. The finest altar 
in the cathedral is that of Los Reyes (the Kings), in 
the apse, rising from the pavement to the roof. Be- 
neath it lie buried the heads of Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama 
and Jimenez, brought here with all honor from Guana- 
juato when Independence had been secured. The altar 
was executed by the same artist who carved the altar of 
Los Reyes in the Cathedral of Seville, and is richly carved 
and gilded in the churrigueresque style. Inclosed in 
its complicated details are many excellent statuettes, and 
some good paintings by the Mexican artist Juan Rodri- 
guez Juarez — the best of which are the '* Epiphany " and 
" Assumption." The altar del i)erdon (of pardon), in the 
the rear of the choir, is in the same churrigueresque 
style, but is less rich. It has two fine paintings, the 
*'Candelaria" of Baltasar de Echave, and a San Sebas- 
tian by (it is believed) the celebrated woman artist. La 
Sumaya. 

Chapels. — The more notable of these are : (1) San Fe- 
lipe de Jesus, in which are some relics of this saint, 
Mexico's protomartyr ; and just outside the grating is 
the font in which he was baptized. Within the chapel 
are the remains, and a modest monument to the memory, 
of the unfortunate Agustin Yturbide, First Emperor of 
Mexico — whose well deserved, as well as more lasting 
and honorable title, here inscribed, is " The Liberator." 
(2) De las reliquias, contains twelve pictures of holy mar- 
tyrs by Juan de Herrera, called by his contemporaries (for 
a reason not apparent to his successors) "The Divine." 



106 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

(3) San Prdro, in which are the remains of the first Mex- 
ican Archbishop, Fray Juan de Zumiirraga ; and, as is 
beheved, those also of the mysterious person the beato 
Grcgorio Lopez — the Mexican " Man with an Iron Mask," 
populai'ly supposed to have been a son of Phihp 11. 

The Sacni<fi/ is decorated with six great paintings 
w^hich completely cover the walls : three — " The Glory 
of Saint Michael," "The Immaculate Conception," and 
" The Triumph of the Sacrament" — by Cristobal de Vill- 
alpando; and three — "The Assumption," "The Catho- 
lic Chm-ch," and "The Entry into Jerusalem " — by Juan 
Correa. In the Meeting-room of the Archicofradia are 
two fine pictures by Jose Alcibar, " The Last Supper " 
and " The Triumph of Faith," together with a very in- 
teresting collection of portraits of all the Archbishops of 
Mexico. In the Chapter-room are the three choicest 
paintings that the cathedral possesses : a picture by an 
imkuown artist of the Italian school representing Don 
John of Austria imploring the help of the Virgin at the 
Battle of Lepanto ; a Virgin, by Pietro de Cortona, and 
Murillo's " Virgin of Bethlehem." 

Capiila de las Animas (Cliapel of the Souls). This 
little chapel, although a portion of the structure of the 
cathedral, has no connection with it. It faces upon the 
Calle de las Escalerillas, the street passing in the rear of 
the cathedral. Of its origin nothing is known save that 
it was there at the beo-iuniiio- of the last century, and that 
it has been there ever since. At the time that record of 
it first appears there was connected with it a fraternity, 
the especial object of which w^as to pray for the release 
of souls from Purgatory. The priest then ha\dng it in 
charge was Don Cayetano Gil de la Concha, " a most 
saintly man," who died October 7, 1755, at the age of 



KELIGIO0S FOUNDATIONS. 107 

eighty-seven years — leavinj:^ ])eliind liim a record (as yet 
unbroken) of having celebrated the mass in tliis cliapel 
45,vJ24 times ! The cliajKil was destroyed by fh'c Mareh 
3, 1748, and was immediately rebuilt in its present 
form. Upon one of the altars is the image of Santa Itita 
de Casia, a saint in great favor among the lower classes 
of the city. 

Parish churches. Upon the site now occupied by the 
Sagrario was built, immediately after the Conquest, as is 
established by high non-partisan authorities, the first 
parish church in the City of Mexico. This church, it is 
believed, was administered by the priest Juan Diaz, chap- 
lain to Cortes, until the year 1523 ; after that date, as is 
established by an order of the Emperor Charles V., it was 
administered by the priest Pedro Villagran. As the Fran- 
ciscans came to the city about the midsummer of 1524, 
the claim (preferred Ijy their eminent chronicler. Fray 
Agustin de Vetan(;urt, and by others) that they founded 
the first parish church is not tenable. The explanation 
of the rival claims to this honor seems to be that the 
church upon the site now occupied by the Sagrario was 
the first parish church of the Spaniards, and that the 
Franciscan foundation was the first parish church of the 
Indians — a distinction that for a long while was main- 
tained. 

It is certain that in the year 1524 Fray Pedro de Gante 
(see p. 120 et ni^.q.) founded within the Franciscan establislj- 
raent the church of San Jose de los Naturales (descriljed 
Ijy Vetancurt as " the first parish of the Indians ") that had 
jjarish charge of the Indians of the four grand divisions 
of the city ; and that almost contemporaneously he estab- 
lished in these four divisions four adjunct parish chapels, 
viz. : San Juan Bautista, in the southwest quarter called 



108 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Moyotla ; San Pablo, in the southeast quarter called 
Teopan ; San Sebastian, in the northeast quarter called 
Atzacualco ; and Nuestra Seiiora de la Asuncion (now 
known as Sta. Maria la Redonda) in the northwest quar- 
ter called Tlaquechiuhcan. Three of these foundations 
are still parish churches ; the fourth, San Juan Bautista 
(now known as San Juan de la Penitencia, which see) 
is not. As the city increased in size and in population 
these four primitive parish divisions were subdivided, and 
new churches were built, as occasion required. Finally 
the present partition of the city into fourteen parishes 
was made by Archbishop Lorenzana, March 3, 1772. The 
parish churches are the following fourteen : 

Sagrario Metropolitan©. This church, immediately 
adjoining the cathedral on the east, is, as is stated above, 
the first parish foundation of the city, and still remains 
the first parish church. It was founded, probably, in the 
year 1521, being then dedicated to Santiago, the patron 
Saint of Spain. In the Escudo de Armas de Mtxico it is 
written that Don Fernando Cortes gave orders to Juan 
Rodriguez de Villafuerte to build a chapel for the hous- 
ing of Nuestra Senora de los Remedios (which see) ; and 
this was done — the chapel being at first known as the 
chapel of Santiago, and afterward as the chapel of the 
Remedios. The present building of the Sagrario is of 
modern construction, dating from the middle of the last 
century — replacing the older church, destroyed by fire. 
The plans were presented by the architect Lorenzo Rod- 
riguez January 7, 1749, and, these being accepted, work 
was at once begun. The more important dates in the 
construction of the edifice are : Foundation laid, January 
7, 1749 ; main altar dedicated September 15, 1767 ; 
dedication of the church as a whole, January 9, 1768 ; 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 109 

completion of the interior decorations, 1770 ; dedication 
of the existing main altar, 1829 ; important repairs, fol- 
lowing the earthquake of June 19, 1858. 

This very elegant building, in the churrigueresque * 
style, directly adjoins the cathedral and communicates 
with it by interior doors. The rich fayade and harmo- 
nious mass contrasts agreeably with the grander mass 
and severer style of the cathedral. So admirable is the 
work — in its elegance and purity of complicated filigree 
carved in stone — that it may be accepted as a standard 
of excellence by w^hich to judge other productions in 
this same curious but (when judiciously used) highly 
effective style. The general design is a Greek cross of 
symmetrical proportions, the relatively high vaulted roof 
being upheld by finelj^-carved stone pillars, in keejDing 
with which are the equally w^ell-carved pilasters. The 
main altar is of wood, of harmonious proportions and 
decorated in excellent taste — among its decorations be- 
ing two good paintings after Dominichino. There are 
twelve minor altars, many of which have been reduced 
to a most unsatisfactory condition by modern reno- 
vation in very bad taste. Upon those which have been 
preserved intact are to be observed a number of paint-, 
ings by leading Mexican artists. The pernicious tend- 
ency to paint and whitewash that has ruined a great 
many churches in Mexico has done much to mar the 
interior of this beautiful building. Fortunately, the 
baptistry has escaped from this vandal method of reno- 
vation. In it is a fine fresco by the master Jose Gines 
de AguiiTe — the Ast professor sent from Spain to take 

* The highly ornate style of decoration notably practised by the 
Spanish architect and sculptor Churriguera about the end of the 
seventeenth century. 



110 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

charge of the Academy of San Carlos — representing the 
baptisms of Jesus, Constantine, Saint Augustine and San 
Felipe de Jesus. Here also is a fine picture of the Mu- 
rillo school : St. John the Baptist in the Desert. 

Capilla de la Soledad. In the year 1750, when the 
present Sagrario was in course of construction, there 
was placed between it and the cathedral a little chapel 
that, according to tradition, first served as a baptistr3^ 
A pious person having placed within it an image of San 
Antonio, the chapel for a time was known by that name. 
Later, a pious woman having placed here an image of 
Nuestra Seiiora de la Soledad, it acquired its present 
name. 

San Pablo (X. 10). This parish church is not to be 
confounded with the closely adjacent chapel of San 
Pablo, now a part of the Hospital Juarez. Both, how- 
ever, come from the same foundation. Primitively there 
was here established, by Fray Pedro de Gante, an In- 
dian parish chapel, adjunct to the church of San Jose in 
San Francisco. This was administered by the Francis- 
cans until the year 1569 when, the adjunct parish hav- 
ing become an important one, it was erected into an in- 
dependent parish and was given into the control of the 
secular clergy. At this time, 1569, the first parish 
church was built. In the year 1575 the Augustiuians 
petitioned the Archbishop, Sr. Don Pedro Moya de 
Contreras, to give them this church, with its accruing 
parish fees, that they might establish here a college ; 
and, although their request was not granted, they act- 
ually did take possession of the church (August 15, 1575) 
and built the college as they had planned. (See Hospi- 
tal Juarez.) In 1581 (probably) the parish church was 
founded upon its present site, immediately east of the 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. Ill 

Augustinian establishment. The existing church was 
completed at the beginning of the present century. 

San Sebastian (N. 8). Founded as a j)arish by 
Fray Pedro de Gante about the year 1524, the Church 
of San Sebastian was founded by Padre Juan Martinez, 
with a hospital adjoining it — of which the Hipolitos 
took charge. The parish was relinquished by the Fran- 
ciscans in 1585 (see Nuestra Sefiora del Carmen) to the 
Carmelites ; and these, in turn, relinquished it in 1G07 
to the Augustinians ; and finally, in 1G3G, it passed into 
the control of the secular clergy. 

Santa Maria la Redonda (II. 0). About the year 
1524 was founded, writes the chronicler Fray Agustin de 
Yetancurt, in a suburb of the city called Tlaquechiuhcan 
(meaning where sleeping-mats are made) a chapel dedi- 
cated to the Assumption of Our Lady. Hither went on 
Sundays and holy days a monk from the church of San 
Jos6 to say the mass ; and every year on the Feast of 
the Assumption went out from this chapel a procession 
of its Indian worshippers who thus celebrated the day. 
One year it fell out that certain students who had gone 
thither to see the procession made light of it ; which so 
enraged the Indians that they mutinied against them. 
Therefore the Lord Archbishop ordered, under pain of 
excommunication, that neither students nor monks any 
more should go to see that procession. In the chapel 
was venerated an especially holy image, the making of 
which was miraculous ; for a pious Indian having begun 
to make it, and leaving it for a time, found upon his re- 
turn that his handiwork had been miraculously carried 
on. And by this image many miracles were wrought — 
most notable of which was the quenching of a certain 
fire, December 11, 1676, by which the first great church 



112 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

of San Agnstin was consumed. (Doubtless the Augus- 
tiuians regretted the fact that the image arrived too Lite 
at the scene of the conflagration to be of really practical 
service.) The parish continued to be administered by 
the Franciscans — the chronicler Vetancurt being at one 
time guardian of the little monastery connected "svith it 
■ — until June 26, 1753, when it passed into the control 
of the secular clergy. In this church is preserved a fine 
early Mexican stone carving : a coiled feathered serpent, 
the emblem of the god Quetzalcoatl. The stone, being- 
inverted and hollowed out, is used as a font for holy 
water. 

Santa Vera Cruz (I. 4). The Conqueror, Don Fer- 
nando Cortes, founded in this church a Brotherhood of 
the True Cross, charged with the somewhat painful duty 
of comforting condemned criminals previous to their ex- 
ecution, and of giving burial to their bodies afterward. 
The statutes of this Brotherhood were approved, March 
30, 1527, by Fray Domingo de Betanzos, Vicar General 
of the Province. By a bull of January 13, 1573, per- 
mission was given that the Brotherhood should be 
united with the Brotherhood of the Santisimo Cristo 
de San Marcelo ; and by the same bull one hundred 
days of indulgence were granted to the faithful who, 
visiting the holy image (the crucifix) should see it un- 
veiled. The image was concealed in a shrine behind 
seven veils, whence comes the name by which it always 
has been known : El Serwr de los siete velos — " the 
Lord of the seven veils." In the "Almanaque Catolico 
e Historico pai-a el aiio 1885," the image is thus referred 
to : " Januaiy 2, Friday. Every Friday of the year 
plenary indulgence can be obtained by visiting the 
Santo Cristo venerated in the pai'ochial church of the 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 113 

Santa Vera Cruz under the title of the Sefior de los aiete 
veloH, brougiit to Mexico by the Conquerors and greatly 
venerated since ancient times because of its pious tradi- 
tion." Although the church was founded immediately 
after the Conquest, the parish was not erected until the 
year 15G8. The existing church wasbuiltby the Brother- 
hood and was dedicated October 14, 1730. Unfortunate- 
ly (and to translate literally) it " suffered an interior re- 
form " during the curacy of Padre Jose Maria Aguirre ; 
and this, with similar sufferings in the year 1850, and in 
the spring of 1885 have done much to destroy its charm 
of quaint antiquity. 

Santa Cruz Acatlan (W. 11). This is one of the 
primitive parish foundations of the city, having been 
established as an adjunct to the Indian parish church of 
San Jose in San Francisco. Beside it, in those early 
times, was a little convent. In March, 1772, it passed 
into the control of the secular clergy. The church con- 
tains three historic pictures. 

Santa Cruz y Soledad (P. 7). This church was 
founded (probably about the year 1534) as an Indian 
mission, and was in the charge of the Augustinians until 
it became a parish church and passed into the control of 
the secular clergy. The existing church was dedicated 
October 21, 1731 ; and was renovated in 1791. It is a 
large building, in the aisles of which are eight altars 
decorated by early Mexican artists of prominence. As 
the church is remarkably well lighted the pictures can 
be seen to advantage. In the church is celebrated 
annually, June 4, the feast of Nuestra Senora del Refu- 
gio, of which a famous image is here preserved. Con- 
cerning this image Sefior Orozco y Berra writes : "The 
Calle del Refugio, formerly known as the Calle de Ace- 
8 



114 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

quia, was called by its present name because of a large 
image of Nuestra Sefiora del Refugio that was there fas- 
tened to a Willi. This was taken down in 1861." The 
image subsequently was placed in the church of San 
Lorenzo, whence, in 1883, it was brought to the church 
of Santa Cruz y Soledad, where an altar has been built 
for it under the choir. 

Santo Tomas la Palma (Z. 56). The church of La 
Palma was founded (probably before the year 1550) as 
an adjunct to that of Santa Cruz y Soledad, and also 
was in the charge of the Augustinians. Being built 
upon the Plazuela de Santo Tomas, this name became 
entangled with its own and the two never have been 
separated. When the parish was secularized (probably 
in 1772) the existing church building was erected — at 
some little distance from its primitive site. The main 
altar possesses merit. The roof is curious, as being 
partly of wood and partly of stone vaulted. 

San Cosme (F. 11), Farish of San Antonio de las 
Huerlas. The chapel of San Cosme y San Damian was 
an adjunct pai-ish church (to the church of San Jose in 
San Francisco) from sometime in the year 1593 until 
May 7, 1667. Being then transformed into a casa de 
recoleccion (house of retreat for the strict observance of 
the most severe rules of a monastic order) the adminis- 
tration of the parish was transferred about three-quar- 
ters of a mile northwestward to the chapel of San Lazaro. 
Here the Viceroy, Don Antonio de Toledo, Marques de 
Mancera, had founded a village with the name of the 
Villa de Mancera, apportioning its lands among the In- 
dians — by whom were cultivated many kitchen gardens 
and orchards. Near to San Lazaro the Franciscans 
built for a parish church the little church of San Anto- 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 115 

nio de Padua, "wherein was housed a miracle-working 
image of that Saint (" The image is miraculous, and 
there is of record an authentic miracle performed by it 
in the resuscitation of a child," writes the contemporary 
chronicler, Vetancurt) that still is preserved in the ex- 
isting church of San Cosme, where its titular function is 
celebrated annually on the 13th of June. The church 
of San Antonio being completed in the year 1G70, the 
administration of the parish was removed thither from 
the chapel of San Lazaro. Adjoining the church was a 
very little monastery, in which dwelt two monks of the 
order of San Francisco who administered the parish 
under the authority of the cura of San Jose. And be- 
cause the church stood in the midst of orchards and 
gardens it came presently to be known, and with it the 
parish, as San Antonio de las huertas — which name sur- 
vives even until this day : so the by no means vaulting 
ambition of the Viceroy to perpetuate his name in that 
of this little town came to naught. In March, 1772, the 
parish was relinquished by the Franciscans into the 
hands of the secular clergy — the first priest being Dr. 
Cobos y Mugica — and finally, in November, 1862, to 
provide for the fortification of the Garita de Tlaxpana 
against the French, the church and the tiny monastery 
and the village were swept away. When this destruc- 
tion was ordered, the administration of the parish was 
removed once again to San Cosme ; and there it has 
since remained. It was in the tower of this church of 
San Antonio, probably, that Lieutenant Grant mounted 
the howitzer that played so important a part in the 
attack upon San Cosme. 

The church of San Cosme, besides being upon a very- 
old foundation, actually is one of the oldest buildings 



116 MEXICATT GUIDE. 

and one of the most interesting in the city. Fray Juan de 
Zumarraga, first Archbishop of Mexico, established here 
(probably before the year 1540 ; he died June 3, 1548) 
a hospital for the care of wayfaring Indians ; and there- 
fore dedicated the chapel attached to it to the physician 
saints, Cosmo and Damian (" the holy Arabian doctors "). 
This institution, however, soon collapsed for want of 
funds for its support. In 1581 the deserted hospital 
was given to the Franciscanos descalzos (the barefooted 
order of Franciscans ; in Mexico known as Dieguinos, 
because their Province was dedicated to San Diego de 
Alcala), that they might establish here a hospice for the 
rest and refreshment of missionaries on their way from 
Spain to the Philippine Islands. In 1593, upon the com- 
pletion of the church and monastery of San Diego (which 
see) they abandoned the hospice ; when it passed to the 
possession of the Franciscans proper — becoming then, as 
above stated, an adjunct to the parish of San Jose, and 
so continuing during the ensuing seventy-three years. 
Fray Baltasar de Medina, the lovable and delightful 
chronicler of the Franciscanos descalzos, writes that in 
1593 the chapel and hospital were given to the Provincia 
del Santo Evangelio (of the regular order of Franciscans) 
for a casa de recoleccion ; which, however, was not estab- 
lished for many years. But from alms received for that 
purpose a small monastery and church were built im- 
mediately, being completed in the year 1600. This, and 
the previous foundations, were upon the north side of 
the existing aqueduct (built in the years 1603-20). 

The first erection upon the site occupied by the pres- 
ent church was begun early in the seventeenth century 
under the patronage of a pious gentleman, Don Agustin 
Guerrero, who gave there a field, and at whose charges 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 117 

building began. But, unfortunately, in a little time tbig 
pious gentleman died, and for many years the new mon- 
astery remained incomplete. The son of Don Agustin 
having relinquished his claim to be patron, though con-^ 
tinning the gift of ground, a new patron at last was 
found in the person of Captain Don Domingo de Canta- 
brana. This gentleman, being newly arrived in Mexico, 
was riding one evening on the Tacuba road when he 
was overtaken by a prodigious storm of rain. Knowing 
of no other place of shelter, he sought admittance to the 
little monastery of San Cosme, where he was received 
most hospitably by the monks ; was entertained with the 
best that their poverty afforded, and in the morning was 
set gladly upon his way. In return for this gracious 
charity he built for them, at a cost of $70,000, their long- 
delayed monastery and church. The corner-stone of 
the church, that now existing, was laid August 29, 1672, 
and the building was dedicated, January 13, 1675. The 
dedication was to Nuestra Senora de la Consolacion ; 
but the older name of San Cosme always has been re- 
tained. So great was the gentlemanliness [hidalguia) of 
the Sen or de Cantabrana, declares the chronicler, that 
in due legal form he renounced for himself and his heirs 
t]!9 title of patron that was his by right of his munifi- 
cence. His work, he said, was "not for any temporal 
profit, but for the diffusion of divine religion and for the 
exaltation of the glorious patriarch San Jose ; " therefore 
he begged the Fathers to accept in his place the holy 
patriarch San Jose as their patron. In commemoration 
of this pious act the syndic of the monastery in the 
year 1762, the Sr. Dr. Mtro. Don Agustin de Quintela, 
caused to be painted a picture — now to be seen in the 
church — recording it in allegory. In the upper pai't of 



118 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

tho picture is represented San Jose, supported by a 
group ot* angels, and below a group of monks ^Yitll whom 
aro three laymen. One of the laymen is Captain Don 
Domingo do Cantabrana in the act of relinquishing his 
title of pati'on to the patriai'ch ; another is the notary 
in tlie act of drawing tho deed by which tho patronage 
formally is surrendered to the Saint. Beneath tlie pic- 
ture is a long inscription setting forth Don Domingo's 
meritorious action and telling by whom tho memorial 
was made. This picture is not only interesting as a 
curious historic relic, but is very worthy of attention on 
purely artistic grounds ; for it is the work of the great 
Mexican artist, Don Jose de Ale (bar. Just in front of 
the picture is the tomb — in very bad taste, but charac- 
teristic of tho times — of the good Viceroy Don Juan de 
Acuna, ]M;u*ques de Casafuerte, who died March 17, 
1731. In addition to tho imago of San Antonio, al- 
ready mentioned, there is another miraculous image in 
the church — that of Nuestra Sefiora de la Consolacion, 
to whom tho church is dedicated. This is enclosed in 
the tabernacle of the main altar. The regai'd of the Vir- 
gin is fixed upon the ground at her feet, and her right 
arm is extended downward as though in the act of res- 
cuing some person from peril — thus commemorating the 
rescue by the image of a little girl from death by drown- 
ing in a welL xVs the miracle is chronicled by Vetancurt, 
together with a description of the image in its present 
position, the age of the ligure is established as greater 
than two hundred years. 

The monastery of San Cosmo was maintained as a 
casa de I'ecolcccion until neai* the end of the year 1851, 
when the two monks then remaining on the foundation 
were removed (being received into tho monastery of San 



KELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 119 

Diego), and it was transformed into a military hospital. 
This institution was opened with much ceremony Feb- 
ruary 18, 1855 — the madrina (godmother) at its conse- 
cration being the ScHora Dona Dolores Tosta de Santa 
Ana, wife of General Santa Ana, then President — and 
was abandoned in 18G2. In 18G2 the church became, 
provisionally, the administrative head of the parish of 
ban Antonio do los huertas, and so continues, 
p, Santa Catarina M^rtir (L. 3). Tlio primitive church 
upon this very ancient foundation, having fallen into 
decay, was demolished about the middle of the seven- 
teenth century, and upon its site the present church 
was built. The money required for its building was be- 
queathed by the pious Doiia Ysabel de la Barrera, wife 
of Simon de Haro — himself a notable benefactor in his 
day to many churches and religious establishments of 
the city. The church was dedicated January 22, 1G(I2. 
The main chapel, the Preciosa sangre de Nuestro Sefior 
Jesucristo, was dedicated November IG, 1G93. There 
are some curious altars. Previous to the sequestration 
of church property, this was one of the richest parishes 
in the city. This church, with that of San Miguel, has 
the right of sanctuary. 

Santa Ana (E. 6). The primitive foundation where 
the church of Santa Ana now stands was a chapel adjunct 
to the parish of Santiago Tlaltelolco, administered by the 
Franciscans. By the solicitation of this order, the pres- 
ent church was built, being dedicated March IG, 1754. 
No sooner was it completed, however, than it was claimed 
as an adjunct parish church by the secular clergy of the 
near-by church of Santa Catarina Martir. This claim 
was allowed, and they took jjossession Februaiy 19, 1755. 
It was erected into an independent jjarlsh in 1770. In 



120 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

a room adjoining the sacristy is preserved a font in whicli, 
it is affirmed, was baptized the Indian Juan Diego, to 
whom the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared. 

Regina CoeSi (T. 20). Parish of the Salto del Agua. 
This church and its adjoining convent were built at the 
charges of the Concepcionistas in the year 1553. Both 
were rebuilt in 1656. The present large and handsome 
church was erected mainly at the charges of *>Fray Jose 
Lanciego y Eguiluz. It was dedicated September 13, 
1731 ; the fine chapel of La Purisima being dedicated 
two years later. Quite recently this was made the parish 
church of the Salto del Agua (which see). 

San Miguel (V. 2). The parish of San Miguel was 
established in the ancient church of San Lucas Evangel- 
ista (one of the primitive adjunct chapels to San Jose in 
San Francisco) January 21, 1690, whence it was removed 
to the present church October 17, 1692. The building 
seems to have been incomplete at this time, as it was 
thereafter much enlarged, and was dedicated to San Mi- 
guel in the year 1714. The main chapel is dedicated to 
Maria Santisima del pilar de Zaragoza, who is an adjunct 
patron of the parish. In this chapel the butchers of the 
city hold annually, on October 18th, a solemn service to 
this their patron saint. This church, with that of Santa 
Catarina Martir, has the right of sanctuary. The build- 
ing was renovated in the year 1850. The doors have 
quaint carvings in wood. 

San Jos€ (T. 5.) The existing parish is not to be 
confounded with the primitive parish of the same name, 
although the existing parish is an offshoot from, and so 
in some sort a lineal successor of the primitive one. 

A little way southeastward of where the church of San 
Francisco now stands, there was built by Fray Pedro 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 121 

de Gante, about the year 1524, a church consecrated by 
the name of San Jose de los Naturales. This, as has 
been mentioned, was the primitive parish church of the 
Indians, as the Sagrario was the primitive parish church 
of the Spaniards. The several adjunct parish chapels 
for the Indians were adjunct to the church of San Jose 
in San Francisco. This church was demolished, in whole 
or in part,' in the year 1769, in order to make place for 
the building of the church of the Seilor de Burgos. The 
only connection between the existing parish church . of 
San Jose and this primitive foundation is that they have 
the same name ; and that, as stated above, the parish 
probably was founded in one of the numerous chapels 
for the Indians which Fray Pedro de Gante caused to be 
built — in addition to the four principal ones (see intro- 
duction to parish cliurches and also San Francisco) that 
he founded in the four quarters of the city. 

The existing church was begun by the exertions of Sr. 
Lie. Don Diego Alvarez, who was parish priest at the 
beginning of the present century. The interior formerly 
was adorned by some very interesting frescoes, the work 
of Sr. Alvarez. These were in chiar-oscuro, picked out 
with gold, and represented, upon alternate panels, scenes 
from the life of the patriarch San Jose and from the his- 
tory of the conquest of Mexico. The unpardonable van- 
dalism has been committed of painting over this most 
curious work. By the earthquake of July 19, 1858, the 
church was so much injured as to require repairs that 
almost amounted to reconstruction. At this time there 
were brought to it some portions of the altars and of the 
church furniture of the church of San Francisco, then 
being dismantled. The repairs being completed, it was 
once more dedicated, June 20, 1861. It contains the 



122 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

noticeable chapela of Nuestra Sefiora de la Luz and the 
Purisima. 

The ReEigious Orders in Mexico. A brief refer- 
ence to the history of the religious orders in Mexico is 
indispensable to a good understanding of the history of 
the city itsell As they severally came to the Spanish 
colony, churches, monasteries, convents, hospitals, were 
built, and in the City of Mexico their work sui-vives 
everywhere : ^dsibly in the buildings which they erected 
and in the street nomenclature, and morally in the im- 
press that they have left upon the life of the nation. 
Their suppression, on the other hand, brought in its 
train the absolute destruction, or the deflection to secu- 
lar purposes, of many of their foundations, and the ac- 
quisition by the State of all that remained ; while the 
opening of new streets through what had been church 
property, and the names which these streets received — 
as the Calles Independencia, Cinco de Mayo, and Lerdo 
— mark, in a very striking manner, the end of the old 
and the beginning of the new order of things. 

To the Franciscans in great part belongs the honor of 
having fixed firmly in Mexico the power of Spain ; for 
theu' zealous missionary work among the Indians, and 
the hold that they had upon their Indian converts, most 
powerfully strengthened the position that the Spaniards 
conquered and in part sustained by military power. To 
the Dominicans, in some small part, at least, is due the 
collapse of the Spanish domination ; for the feeling 
against the Inquisition unquestionably had much to do 
with fixing many waverers on the side of Independence. 
To the several orders of hospitallers was due the estab- 
lishment of (for the times) admirably appointed and 
zealously administered hospitals in every city of the col- 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 123 

ony. To the Jesuits belong the honor of having fos- 
tered learning in this new land. Broadly speaking, the 
influence of the religious orders upon the colony was 
beneficial during its first century ; neutral during its 
second ; harmful during its third. In this last epoch so 
considerable a portion of the wealth of the colony had 
come into possession of the Church that the locking up 
of caj)ital blocked the channels of trade. Leaving all 
other questions out of consideration, the suppression of 
the religious orders was an economic necessity in Mexico 
for many years before there was found, in the person of 
Juarez, a statesman bold enough and strong enough to 
institute so radical a reform. 

That the Reform was executed with a certain brutal 
severity ia less discreditable to Mexicans in particular 
than to humanity at large. When evil social conditions, 
long-fostered, at last are broken down, the radical ele- 
ment in the body-politic that asserts the right never 
fails to commit on its own account a very liberal amount 
of wrong. Yet all unprejudiced travellers in Mexico can- 
not but keenly deplore, because of the violence done to 
art and learning, to the romantic and to the picturesque, 
that in the course of the Reformation so much of value 
to learning and art perished, and that so many buildings 
deeply interesting because of their historic or romantic 
associations, or in themselves picturesque, were diverted 
utterly from their primitive purposes or utterly de- 
stroyed. 

In point of fact, many of the religious orders in Mex- 
ico disappeared before the laws of the Reform were pro- 
mulgated. The Jesuits were suppressed June 25, 1767 ; 
re-established in 181G ; again suppressed in 1821 ; again 
re-established in 1853 ; and finally expelled from the 



124 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

country in 1856. The Antoninos were suppressed by a 
bull of Pius VI. of August 24, 1787. By a decree of the 
Spanish Cortes of October 1, 1820 (following the re- 
erection of the Constitution of 1812), executed in Mexico 
in 1821, the following named orders were suppressed : 
Agustinos recoletos, Hipolitos, Juaninos, Betlemitas, 
and Benedictinos. The Cosmistas (Franciscanos rec- 
coletos) having dwindled to but a few members, were 
absorbed into the Franciscanos in 1854. 

All of the remaining orders were extinguished by the 
law of July 12, 1859, given in Vera Cruz under the 
Presidency of Juarez. Actually, however, this law did not 
become operative in the City of Mexico until December 
27, 1860, upon the entry into the capital of the Liberal 
forces. Although the law provided only for the extinction 
of the monasteries, the partial suppression of the convents 
began almost immediately. At midnight of February 
13, 1861, at a preconcerted signal (the tolling of the bell 
of the church of Corpus Christi) the nuns were removed 
from twelve convents to the ten convents remaining for 
the time being undisturbed. The law of February 26, 
1863, declared the suppression of the female religious 
establishments (excepting that of the Sisters of Charity) ; 
and required the several convents to be vacated within 
eight days. In a few cases slight extensions of time 
were granted, but the actual suppression of the orders 
dates from March 6, 1863. Finally, the Laws of the 
Bef orm being incorporated into the Federal Constitution 
(December 14, 1874), the last remaining religious order, 
that of the Sisters of Charity, was suppressed. 

San Francisco (K. 1). The history of this founda- 
tion almost may be said to be the history of Mexico, 
for contained in it, or linked with it, is almost every 



EELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 125 

event of importance in the colonial or national life. 
From this centre radiated the commanding influence of 
the Franciscan order — the strong power that kept what 
was won by military force, and that by its own peaceful 
methods greatly extended the territorial limits of New 
Spain. Here masses were heard by Cortes, and here 
for a time his bones were laid. Here, through three 
centuries, the great festivals of the Church were taken 
part in by the Spanish Viceroys. Here was sung the 
first Te Deum in celebration of Mexican Independence, 
the most conspicuous man in the rejoicing assemblage 
being General Agustin Yturbide — by whom, virtually, 
Mexican Independence was won ; and here, seventeen 
years later, were held the magnificent funeral services 
when Yturbide — his Imperial error forgiven and his 
claim to the title of Liberator alone remembered — was 
buried. Around no other building in Mexico cluster' 
such associations as are gathered here. And even now, 
when the great monastic establishment has been swept 
away, and the church itself has become a Protestant 
cathedral, the very wreck of it all serves to mark, in the 
most striking and dramatic way, the latest and most radi- 
cal phase of development of the nation's life. 

The Franciscan order — founded by Saint Francis of 
Assisi in the year 1^08, approved by Innocent III. in 
1215, and confirmed by Honorius HI. in 1223 — was es- 
tablished in New Spain within three j'ears after the Con- 
quest. The twelve founders, usually styled the Twelve 
Apostles of Mexico, were from the Franciscan Province 
of San Gabriel in Spain. Their leader was the Superior 
of the Province, Fray Martin de Valencia, " the Father 
of the Mexican Church" — identical with the zealous Fray 
Martin de Boil, told of by the chronicler Medina, ''who 



126 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

■with his own hands reduced no less than 170,000 Pagan 
idols to dust ! " Of .the missionaries were also two other 
men afterward very prominent in Mexico : Fray Toribio 
de Benevente, the eminent chronicler, better known by 
the name of Motolinia (meaning poor, miserable) ; that, 
being applied to him in derision by the Indians, he glad- 
ly adopted in his humility as the name best befitting his 
deserts ; and Fray Francisco Ximenez, author of the 
first grammar of the Mexican tongue. And all of the 
twelve were very godly, and earnest in the good work to 
which they had devoted their lives. The little company 
sailed from the port of San Liicar de Barrameda, Jan- 
uary 25, 1524, and — after stopping at various towns in 
the West Indies — came safely to land at San Juan de 
Ulua on the 23d of May of the same year. From the 
coast they walked to the capital ; and by the way, in 
Texcoco — where he had been for a twelvemonth en- 
gaged in missionary work — they were joined by Fray 
Pedro de Gante,* who walked on with them to Mexico. 

* Fraj Pedro de Gante (Ghent) was a native of Flanders, and 
entered the Franciscan Order, it is believed, in the Monastery of 
Ghent. He was one of the five missionaries to the Indians who 
came to Mexico in 1523 ; and of all the missionaries who came 
thither he was the most able and the most zealous. The holiness 
and usefulness of his life, and his Flanders birth, especially en- 
deared and commended him to the Emperor Charles V. , and from 
this patron he received very large sums of money and extensive 
grants of land to aid him in carrying on his mission works. The 
marked favor of the Emperor gave rise, in later times, to the asser-- 
tion that the monk was the Emperor's natural son — a fiction that 
is effectively disposed of by these facts : Charles V. was born in 
the year 1500. Fray Pedro de Gante came to Mexico, already a 
professed monk, in the year 1523. Consequently, he must have 
been born some years before the birth of his alleged father. 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 127 

And all of these thirteen came into the city on the 23d of 
June, in the year 1524. 

In 1531 the mission was erected into the Province of 
the Santo Evangelio (confirmed by a bull issued by 
Clement XL in the ensuing year), and from this province 
have come out successively five other provinces of the 
Order : San Jose de Yucatan, 1559 ; Santo Nombre de 
Jesus de Guatemala, 1565 ; San Pedro y San Pablo de 
Michoacan, 1565 ; Santiago de Jalisco, 1606 ; Nuestro 
Padre San Francisco de Zacatecas, 1606. 

For a little while after their arrival in Mexico the 
Franciscans were domiciled in a shelter upon or near the 
site of the present church of Santa Teresa la Antigua. 
From this they removed to their permanent abiding 
place — the lands where formerly had been the garden 
and wild-beast house of the kings of Tenochtitlan. 
Funds for the building of the first church were provided 
by Cortes, and the material employed in its construction 
was the hewn-stone from the steps of the great Teocalli. 
The church soon was finished, as was also the chapel of 
San Jose de los Naturales, the parish church for the 
Indians that Fray Pedro de Gante organized immediately 
upon his aiTival ; and from this centre missionaries went 
out evei'ywhere over the land, and far away into the re- 
gions of the North. Being gentle and good and thor- 
oughly in earnest, these first missionaries made many 
converts ; and by the hold that they thus acquired over 
the Indians were able gTeatly to strengthen the hands 
of the viceroyal government in its administration of 
affairs. 

As years went on and the Order increased in numbers 
and in wealth — ingenious systems of trusts effectively 
circumventing the vow of poverty — the primitive mon- 



128 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

astery was enlarged from time to time until it came to 
be of a prodigious size ; new chapels were built about 
the church ; the church itself was rebuilt upon a scale 
of great magnificence, and more and more land in the 
vicinity of the monastery was secured. This process of 
accretion continued for nearly three full centuries, and 
no diminution of the great estate was suffered for a 
round three hundred and thirty years. About the year 
1811 the property held by the Order in the vicinity of 
the monastery, until then broken by lanes and alley- 
ways into three parcels, was united in a single plot by 
an inclosing wail. The boundaries of this inclosui-e 
were : to the south, the Calle de Zuleta ; to the west, 
the Calle de San Juan de Letran ; to the east, the Calles 
Coliseo and Colegio de las Niiias, and to the north the 
first Calle de San Francisco. Upon the southeast cor- 
ner of the tract was a small reservation belonging to the 
Colegio de las Ninas. In the southern half of this estate 
were the gardens — the present garden of San Francisco 
— upon which opened the large infirmary (that now is in 
course of translation into a hotel) ; the cemetery ; the 
great refectory, in which was room for five hundred 
brothers to sit together at meat ; the principal cloister 
and a smaller cloister ; the sala de profundis ; the sac- 
risty, and the ante-sacristy. In the northern haK were 
the several chapels and the main church, standing in the 
great atrium. This general inclosure had two entrances : 
the one to the north, now existing, on the first Calle de 
San Francisco ; the other, the main entrance, to the 
west, on the Calle de San Juan de Letran. 

The main Church. The existing church, dedicated De- 
cember 8, 1716, though bereft of its stately surroundings, 
with its main entrance closed by a row of houses, with 



RELIGIOUS FOUND ATI0:N"S. 129 

its tower demolished, and with all its interior splendor 
departed, still maintains its rank as one of the most noble 
and impressive buildings in Mexico. Its plan is a single 
great nave, with apse and transepts, lighted by a row of 
windows between the cornice and the spring of the 
vaulted roof, and by three domes — the main dome rising 
to a height of 90 feet and supporting a lantern 24 feet 
high. The nave is 56 feet wide and, with the apse, 230 
feet long. In its present condition the church is bare 
and cold. Architecturally, it requires lavish decoration — 
gilding, color, great pictures — to relieve its vast expanses 
of windowless walls. Before the time of the Reform, of 
course, this requirement was fulfilled. Thirty years ago 
its interior decoration was in keeping with its majestic 
proportions and stately grace. For nearly a century and 
a half great sums of money were expended in making it 
more and more beautiful — the silver tabernacle of the 
high altar alone cost $24,000 — and the result was a rich- 
ness and splendor unsurpassed in Mexico. The main 
entrance, now closed, was from the west, through a richly 
ornamented fa9ade, surmounted on its southern side by a 
small bell-tower. The side entrance, as at present exist- 
ing, was through the chapel of Nuestra Seiiora de la Bal- 
vanera (which chapel was built at the charges of certain 
pious natives of Rioja). The doorway through which the 
chapel is entered — and, through the chapel, the church, 
is a very elegant specimen of the churrigueresque style : 
especially commendable because of its freedom fi-om the 
overloading into which this style almost inevitably leads. 
From the church access was had to the beautiful chapel 
of the Purisima Concepcion (built in 1629 at the charges 
of Don Cristobal Zuleta, from whom the name of the Calls 
de Zuleta is derived), and of San Antonio, built ten years 
9 



130 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

later. Some traces of the walls of these chapels still may 
be discerned ou the north side of the church. 

The complete group of churches, famous throughout 
Mexico as the seven churches of San Francisco, consisted 
of those which have been named and the following: 
El Seiior de Burgos, and the little chapel of Dolores, 
otherwise known as the Segunda Estacion, both close to 
the Calle de San Juan de Letran and facing each other 
from opposite sides of the main entrance to the great 
church ; the Tercer Orden and Nuestra Senora de Ai'an- 
zazii, both upon the first Calle de San Francisco and fac- 
ing each other from opposite sides of the entrance from 
that street ; and the famous chapel of San Jose de los 
Naturales, southeast of the great church, and upon or 
just east of the present Calle de Gante. 

El Senor de Burgos. — Upon the site afterward occupied 
by this church there stood in primitive times the parish 
church of San Jose de los Espaiioles — built for the use of 
the Spaniards, as the other parish church of San Jose was 
built for the use of the Indians. Both were demolished 
in the same year, 1769. The church of Nuestro Senor de 
Burgos was immediately erected upon the vacated site, 
and was dedicated February 6, 1780. Although not very 
large — 98 x 40 feet — it was the most splendid of all the 
outlying churches of the Franciscan establishment, being 
especially noted for the paintings upon its walls, by the 
Mexican artist Echave, illustrating the life of San Jose. 

Tercer Orden. — This chapel, dedicated November 8, 
1727, stood just west of the side entrance to the great 
church — the only entrance now remaining. It has been 
in part destroyed, and what is left of it has been ab- 
sorbed into the walls of houses fronting on the first Calle 
de San Francisco. A portion of its eastern wall still may 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 131 

be seen, upon which may be deciphered an inscription 
telling that for a period of forty years from July 10, 
1831, this church was authorized to be joined with the 
church of the Lateran in Eome. The Laws of the Reform 
diminished the privilege by ver}' nearly a decade, for the 
destruction of the chapel took place in 1862. The Tcr- 
cer Orden (founded in Mexico October 20, 1G15), a third, 
and lay, order of Franciscans, was very popular and (in 
a proper and serious way, of course) very fashionable. It 
was the correct thing for people of high station to join 
it ; but while this custom was fashionable it was anything 
but a fashionable folly. The order was philanthropic in 
its purposes, and in its time accomplished many good 
works. The most notable of these was the founding of 
the Hospital de Terceros — the great building, at the cor- 
ner of the Calles Santa Isabel and San Andres, now occu- 
pied by the Escuela de Comercio, the Sociedad Geogra- 
fia y Estadistica, and a primary school. This hospital 
was opened in June, 1756, and for a hundred j^ears fol- 
lowing was an excellent and well managed charity. 

Nuestra Senora de Aranzaz'd. — Excepting the Bal van- 
era (now a part of the Protestant cathedral) this is the 
only surviving chapel of the San Francisco group. For 
upwards of twenty years it has been closed and dis- 
mantled, but it now is in course of rehabilitation and is 
to be reopened as the church of San Felipe de Jesus. 
The comer-stone of this building was laid March 25, 
1683, and it was dedicated December 18, 1688. Al- 
though shorn of its interior splendors the church still 
retains its beautiful, and curious, western front — facing 
upon the church-yard of San Francisco. This is a very 
rich work ornamented with figures in relief. The prin- 
cij)al group represents a shepherd, surrounded by his 



132 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

flock, seated at the foot of a tree in the branches of 
which the Virgin is seen in a vision. On the frieze that 
follows the architrave of the doorway is the inscrip- 
tion : Sacro Sancta Lateranensis ecclesia. Below the 
alto-relievo of the tree and Virgin and shepherd is in- 
scribed in Spanish : " Chapel of the Miraculous Image 
of Our Lady of Aranzazi'i, and burial place of the sons 
and natives of the three pro\dnces of Biscay and the 
Kingdom of Navarre ; of their wives, sons, and descend- 
ants, at whose [sic] expense it was built and dedicated 
in the year 1688." Near the top of the fa9ade is the in- 
scription : Til honorificentia po2)uli nostri. 

San Jose de los Naturales. — This chapel, occupying a 
site a short distance southeastward of the great church — 
either upon the line of the Calle de Gante or just east of 
it — was built by Fray Pedro de Gante about the year 
1521, As has been mentioned it was the first parish 
church of the Indians, as the Sagrai'io (which see) was 
the first parish church of the Spaniards. The many 
parish churches for the Indians thereafter established 
by Fray Pedro de Gante were adjunct to this church of 
San Jose in San Francisco. The building itself was a 
great arcade, or shed, its vaulted roof upheld by stone 
pillars, and stone pillars taking the place of walls ; being 
thus constructed that not only might a great number of 
Indians be assembled under its roof, but that several 
thousands more clustered around it might see and take 
part in its services. Cathedral privileges were conceded 
to this church by Charles V. and Philip 11. ; and in it the 
first Mexican Council was held. It was demolished in 
1769. Upon its site was erected the church of Los Servi- 
tas, dedicated November 12, 1791. This last was de- 
molished when the Calle de Gante was opened, in 1862. 



EELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 133 

The first assault upon the integrity of the Franciscan 
establishment was struck by President Comonfort in 
1852. Positive information reached him upon the 14th 
of September of that year that a conspiracy, having its 
origin in this monastery, had been formed for the over- 
throw of the existing government and the establishment 
of a government in harmony with the views of the ultra 
clerical i:)arty. The revolution was to begin on the IGth 
of September — the great national holiday commemorat- 
ing the declaration of Independence. Comonfort acted 
with his customary energy. On the morning of the 15th 
the monastery was taken possession of by Federal troops, 
and the entire community of monks placed under ar- 
rest ; on the 16th a decree was promulgated ordering 
the opening of a new street, to be called Independencia, 
directly across the middle of the monastery inclosure 
from east to west ; and on the 18th another decree was 
promulgated in which the treasonable acts of the mem- 
bers of the Order were recited and, in punishment of 
this treason, the monastery was declared suppressed and 
its property forfeited to the State. Satisfied, however, 
with having proved the supremacy of the civil to the re- 
ligious power, Comonfort annulled the decree of sup- 
pression by a decree of February 19, 1857, that per- 
mitted the re-establishment of the monastery. But the 
decree did not restore the commanding moral standing 
of the Order lost through its temporary suppression ; 
any more than it restored the real estate sacrificed to 
make way for the new street that in the interval had 
been opened. It was this bold act of Comonfort's that 
made possible the bolder act by which Juarez, four years 
later, extinguished all the religious orders at a blow — 
the general catastrophe in which the great Franciscan 



134 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

establishment found its end. On the 27th of December 
1860, the army of Juarez entered the city, and imme- 
diately made operative and effective the decree of July 
12, 1859. The monastery of San Francisco was closed 
at once ; early in 1861 the jewels and pictures were re- 
moved from the chui'ch — the latter going to the Academy 
of San Carlos ; the altars were destroyed ; the bells were 
taken from the tower, and, a little later, the construction 
was begun of the houses upon San Juan de Letran by 
which the fa9ade was hidden and the main entrance 
closed. In the following April a street was cut through 
the property from north to south, crossing or passing 
very near to the site of the first chapel of the Indians : and 
in the name given to this street, Gante, is preserved a 
memorial of the good work here wrought by the pm-est 
and noblest Franciscan ever known in New Spain. 

In 1869 the church, together with the chapel of the 
Balvanera, passed by purchase to " The Mexican Branch 
of the Catholic Church of our Lord Jesus Christ." This 
Protestant sect had its origin among ex-members of the 
Boman communion who desired " a greater liberty of 
conscience, a purer worship, and a better church organ- 
ization." Its claim is that it is not a new departure, 
but a reversion to the original creed and liturgy of the 
Christian church in Spain before the adoption of Boman 
doctrine in the eleventh century. Inasmuch as Arch- 
bishop Lorenzana seems to have had in mind the bring- 
ing about in Mexico, just a century earlier, of a move- 
ment of precisely this same sort, this second spontaneous 
development of Protestant sentiment in the same soil, 
though under very different conditions, is a matter of 
great interest not merely to theologians but to students 
of humanity at large. 



EELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 135 

Santiago TIalteloIco (D. 42). By a royal order of 
Charles V.; given at Barcelona May 1, 1543, the present 
*' domed church " was erected. Nineteen years earlier, 
the Franciscans had estabHshed here a chapel — one of 
the numerous foundations of Fray Pedro de Gante — 
together with a school. This foundation was materially 
enlarged by the patronage of the first Viceroy, Don An- 
tonio de Mendoza, who established here the celebrated 
College of Santa Cruz for the Indians, with a liberal en- 
dowment of landed estate. The college was opened in 
1537 with an attendance of more than one hundred In- 
dian pupils, who were taught (possibly somewhat more 
to their amazement than to their edification) Latin, logic, 
and philosophy. The college justified its existence, how- 
ever, for among its Indian graduates were several nota- 
ble men who have left their impress upon Mexican lit- 
erature. But as a race it is probable that the Indians 
gave no very adequate return for their training in Latin, 
logic, and philosophj^ for the college declined, and 
finally, about the year 1578, expired. Twice it was re- 
vived — once as the College of San Buenaventura and San 
Juan Capistrano, in the year 16G7, to expire early in the 
ensuing century ; and again under its original title of 
Santa Cruz, in 1728, to expire finally in 1811. Since 
this latter date the convent and college buildings have 
been used for a variety of secular purposes. There is 
now established here a military prison. UiDon the 
secularization of the Church several pictures and some 
curious ancient images, including a life-size equestrian 
figure of Santiago, were removed to the church of Santa 
Maria de los Angeles, where they may now be seen. 
The church building is the most conspicuous edifice in 
the northern suburb of the city. 



136 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Santo Domingo (L. 15). The Dominican Order, 
founded in Tolosa, Spain, by Santo Domingo de Guz- 
man, was approved by Pope Honorius m. in the year 
1223. The Mexican missionary monks of this order 
came from the Province of Santa Cruz de la Isla Es- 
panola, in Spain, and arrived in Mexico June 23, 1526. 
Under the mutual rule of the orders of Dominicans and 
Franciscans, they were sheltered in the monastery of 
San Francisco until their own temporary monastery was 
completed for their reception, in October of the same year. 
This first building was on the site of the present College 
of Medicine. From it they removed in 1530 to the mon- 
astery (now almost wholly demolished) that was built 
on land adjoining the present church on the west. By 
the bulls of Clement Vn. of July 2, 1532, and March 8, 
1533, the Dominicans of Mexico were erected into an 
independent province under the name of the Provincia 
de Santiago de Mexico, Orden de Predicadores. The 
first church was completed in 1575. This, and the ad- 
joining monastery, were destroyed by inundation in 
1716. The present church was dedicated in August, 
1736. In order to open the street on the western side 
of the church, in April, 1861 (after the secularization of 
the property by the Laws of the Reform) not only was 
destroyed the greater portion of the monastery, but also 
the fine chapel of the Tercer Orden. What remained of 
the monastery was sold to private individuals. The 
chapel of the Rosary {papilla del rosario), the most beau- 
tiful chapel annexed to the church, still remains in good 
order. It is handsomely decorated, and contains some 
noteworthy paintings by Villanueva. The church is one 
of the finest in the city, being admirable for its size, its 
fine proportions, its altars decorated in good taste and 



EELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 137 

adorned by some excellent paintings by Mexican artists, 
and its handsome main altar — only to be compared with 
that of the Profesa. About the year 1866 extensive ex- 
cavations were made along the line of the new street, 
within the limits of the ancient monastery, in search of 
a considerable treasure reported to be buried there, 
but the search was vain. 

Porta Coeli (M. 41). This Dominican foundation, of 
August 18, 1603, was at first a college only. As such it 
was approved by the General Chapter of the order at 
Valladolid, in Spain, in 1605. The college was sup- 
pressed in 1860, but the curious little church still re- 
mains. On its front is the quaint Biblical inscription : 
Terribiles est locus iste Domus Dei, et Porta Coeli. 

The Inquisition (L. 98). As early as 1527 the influ^ 
ence of the Spanish Inquisition was perceptible in New 
Spain in the promulgation of a royal order in that year 
by which ail Jews and Moors were banished from the 
Province. About the year 1529 a council was held in 
the City of Mexico composed of the most notable men, 
religious, military, and civil, then in the Province — in- 
cluding Bishop Fuenleal, who was President of the Au- 
dencia, together with all the members of that body ; the 
Bishop of Mexico (Zumarraga) ; the heads of the Domini- 
can and Franciscan orders ; the municipal authorities 
and two prominent citizens. As the result of its delibera- 
tions, this council solemnly declared : "It is most neces- 
sary that the Holy Office of the Inquisition shall be ex- 
tended to this land, because of the commerce with stran- 
gers here carried on, and because of the many corsairs 
abounding upon our coasts, which strangers may bring 
their evil customs among both natives and Castillians, 
who by the grace of God should be kept free from 



138 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

heresy." Following this declaration several function- 
aries charged with inquisitorial powers visited the Prov- 
ince during the ensuing forty years, suitably discharging 
the duties of their office by keeping heresy and crimes 
aofainst the canon law well trodden under foot. The 
full fruit of the declaration of the council ripened in 
1570, when, under date of August 16, a royal order issued 
appointing Don Pedro Moya de Contreras (afterwai'd 
Archbishop, and some time Viceroy of the Province) 
Inquisitor General of New Spain, Guatemala, and the 
Philippine Islands, with headquarters in the City of 
Mexico. The chronicler Vetancurt writes with pious 
joy : " The tribunal of the Inquisition, the strong fort 
and mount of Zion, was founded in the City of Mexico 
in the j'ear 1571 ; " and later he adds : " They have cele- 
brated general and pai'ticular autos de lafe with gi'eat 
concourse of dignitaries, and in all cases the Catholic 
faith and its truth have remained victorious." The fact 
should be noted that the royal order under which the 
Inquisition was established in Mexico expressly ex- 
empted the Indians from its jiuisdiction ; a politic ar- 
rangement that gave it from the outset a strong popular 
support. For the accommodation of the Holy Office the 
small monastery at first occupied by the Dominicans 
was placed at the disposition of the Inquisitor General. 
This presently was rebuilt, to make it more in keeping 
with the dignity and the needs of the business earned on 
in it, but no record of the structure then erected remains. 
The existing building, now the property of the Escuela 
de Medicina, was begun December 5, 1732, and was 
completed in December, 1736. The brasero (brazier), or 
quemadero (burning-place), whereon the decrees of the 
Holy Office were executed, w^as a short distance east- 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 139 

ward of the church of San Diego, upon land since in- 
cluded in the Alameda.* It was a square platform, with 
wall and terrace arranged for the erection of stakes to 
which the condemned, living or dead, were fastened to 
be burned. Being raised in a large open space, the 
spectacle could be witnessed by the entire population of 
the city. When the ceremony was ended, the ashes of 
the burned were thrown into the marsh that then was in 
the rear of the church of San Diego. Fray Vetancurt, 
describing the pleasing outlook from the door of San 
Diego, writes : *' The view is beautified by the Plaza of 
San Hipulito and by the burning place of the Holy 
Office." As in Spain, so also in Mexico, the Dominican 
order and the Inquisition were closely associated, 
though nominally they were independent organizations.f 
The first auto defe % in New Spain was celebrated in 

* There was another brasero in the plazuela of San Ldzaro that 
served for the burning of criminals whose crimes did not come 
within the jurisdiction of the Holy Office. The principal crimes 
of which the Holy Office took cognizance were : heresy, sorcery, 
witchcraft, polygamy, seduction, unnatural crime, imposture and 
personation. The extreme penalty, death by burning, was visited 
only upon criminals of the first order, as heretics or sorcerers. 
In the majority of cases the criminal was strangled before being 
burned. 

f "St. Dominick is said to have first proposed the erection of 
such a tribunal to Innocent III. , and to have been appointed by 
him the first inquisitor. . . The majority of inquisitors em- 
ployed have always been Dominicans, and the commissary of the 
Holy Office at Rome belongs, ex officio, to this order." — Catholio 
Dictionary, article "Inquisition." 

J The auto defe, or act of the [profession of the] faith, was the 
public ceremony that followed the secret trial of criminals brought 
before the Inquisition. The ceremony began by the avowal by 
the members of the tribunal, and by all assembled with them, of 



140 MEXICATT GUIDE. 

the year 1574 : as its result, as is mentioned with much 
satisfaction by the chronicler Fray Baltasar de Medina, 
there perished " twenty-one pestilent Lutherans." From 
this time onward, until the Inquisition was suppressed, 
these edifying ceremonies were of very frequent occur- 
rence, sometimes taking place annually (as in 1646-47- 
48-49) for several years in succession. Frequent though 
they certainly were, and large though the number of 
those who perished in them undoubtedly was, the num- 
ber of those actually burned to death was comparatively 
small. In the majority of cases, even when the body of 
the offender was burned, grace was shown in first grant- 
ing death by strangulation. Thus, in the memorable 
auto de fe of April 10, 1649, when (April 11th) fifteen 
persons perished, only one — Thomas Trevino, of Sobre- 
monte in Castile, who had " cursed the Holy Office and 
the Pope " — was burned alive. The remaining fourteen 
were burned after strangulation. When the Liberal 
constitution of 1812 was adopted in Spain the end of 
the Inquisition began. One of the first reforms intro- 
duced by the Cortes was the decree of February 22, 1813, 
by which the Holy Office was suppressed throughout 
Spain and the Spanish dependencies. This decree was 
promulgated in Mexico on the 8th of the ensuing June ; 

their belief in Christianity and the doctrines of the Church. This 
act of faith, or profession of faith, being ended, the tribunal an- 
nounced the crime for which each criminal had been tried, and 
the measure of guilt adjudged to attach to him ; after which an- 
nouncement, with a perfunctory recommendation to mercy, it 
relinquished him to the secular arm {i.e. to the civil authorities) 
for punishment. Hence, the auto de fe should not be confound- 
ed, as it usually is, with the burning or other punishment that 
followed it, and that, in theory, was the work of the secular? 
power alone. 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 141 

and by proclamation of the Viceroy the property of the 
Inquisition was then declared forfeited to the roj^al treas- 
ury. Another Viceroyal proclamation ordered to be 
removed from the cathedral the tablets on which, ac- 
cording to usage, were inscribed the names of those 
whom the Holy Office had declared criminals. But with 
the overthrow of the Liberal constitution in Spain, and 
the return to the throne of Ferdinand VII., the decree 
of suppression was rescinded and the Holy Office once 
more possessed its property and continued its work. 
The tribunal of the Inquisition was established again in 
Mexico January 21, 1814. This re-erection was for only 
a little time. Following the revival in Spain (March, 
1820) of the constitution of 1812, the decree issued by 
which the Inquisition was suppressed forever. The de- 
cree became effective in Mexico May 31, 1820. There is 
a certain poetic fitness to be found in the fact that the 
last years of the Inquisition in Mexico were spent in 
combating strenuously the spread of Liberalism ; that 
the last notable auto defe (November 26, 1815) was that 
at which the accused was the patriot Morelos. The find- 
ing against him was a foregone conclusion. " The Pres- 
bitero Jose Maria Morelos," declared the inquisitors, 
*' is an unconfessed heretic {hereje formal negativo), an 
abettor of heretics and a disturber of the ecclesiastical 
hierarchy ; a profaner of the holy sacraments ; a traitor to 
God, to the King, and to the Pope." For which sins he 
was " condemned to do penance in a penitent's dress " 
(after the usual form), and was surrendered to the ten- 
der mercies of the secular arm. He was shot, Decem- 
ber 22, 1815. But it was the Inquisition that died. 

San Agustin (V. 102). Founded in Tagaste, in Nu- 
midia, by Saint Augustine in the fifth century, the order 



142 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

of Angiistinian friars wag made an establishment of 
the Clnircli and united in a single body by Pope 
Alexander VI. in the year 125G. The first Augustin- 
ians, seven in number, entered the City of Mexico 
June 7, 1533, and were housed by the Dominicans until 
their own temporary house was completed. They were 
ceded a tract of land, then called Zoquiapan, on the site 
now occupied by the Biblioteca Nacional, and of this they 
took possession in the following month of August. Here 
they built their first church and monastery, at a cost of 
$162,000 ; which money was given to them from the pub- 
lic funds by order of the Emperor Charles V. The cor- 
ner-stone of the churcli was laid by the Viceroy, Don An- 
tonio do Mcndoza, August 28, 1541. This first church 
was destroyed by fire December 11, 1676. The first stone 
of the new building was laid on the 22d of the ensumg 
May, and the new church was dedicated December 14, 
1602. Adjoining the west side of the church is the older 
chapel of the Tercer Orden. In the church was a choir 
of exceeding magnificence, the cost of which alone was 
$240,000. The convent was suppressed by the general 
law of July 12, 1859, and in 1861 the church was dis- 
mantled, the beautiful choir being sold out of the 
countiy for $3,000. There is now established in this ex- 
chiu'ch the Biblioteca Nacional (which see). 

San HIpdIito (I. 114). Historically and sentimentally 
this is one of the most interesting churches in the city. 
In front of the spot where it now stands there existed in 
the year 1520 the second line of defenses on the causeway 
(now the street occupied by the horse railway to Tacuba) 
that connected the Aztec city with the main-land west- 
wai'd. At this pomt was the greatest slaughter of the 
Spaniards during the retreat of the memorable Nofho 



RELIGIOUS FOUT^DATIONS. 143 

Triste (July 1, 1520). After the final conquest of the 
city, one of the survivors of that dismal night, Juan Gar- 
rido, having freshly in mind its bloody horrors, built of 
adobe at this place a little commemorative chapel. For 
a short time the chapel was known as *' the chapel of 
Juan Garrido " ; but presently it came to be styled " the 
chapel of the martyrs " ; receiving this grander name, as 
Sefior Orozco y Berra shrewdly observes, " perhaps with 
the object of making the Conquerors appear in the guise 
of defenders of the faith." The reconquest of the city 
was completed on the day of San Hipolito, August 13 
(1521), and this coincidence led to the dedication to San 
Hipolito of the commemorative chapel — the name that 
the church, San Hipolito of the Martyrs, still retains. 
The present church, built mainly at the charges of the 
Municipality, was a very long while in course of construc- 
tion. It was begun in 1599, but was not dedicated, 
finally, until 1739. Later it was renovated, its present ap- 
pearance dating from the year 1777. Upon the exterior 
angle of the wall surrounding its atrium is a commemor- 
ative monument, consisting of alto-relievos in chiluca 
stone, representing in its central part an eagle carrying 
in his talons an Indian ; at its sides are arms, musical in- 
struments, trophies and devices of the ancient Mexicans, 
and in the upper part is a large medallion of elliptical 
fonn in which is carved this inscription : " So great was 
the slaughter of Spaniards by the Aztecs in this place on 
the night of July 1, 1520, named for this reason the 
Dismal Night, that after having in the following year 
re-entered the city triumphantly the conquerors resolved 
to build here a chapel to be called the Chapel of the Mar- 
tyrs ; and which should be dedicated to San Hipolito be- 
cause the capture of the city occurred upon that Saint's 



144 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

day." Until tlie year 1812 there was celebrated annu- 
ally, on the 13th of August, at this church a solemn 
ceremony, both religious and civil, known as the Pro- 
cession of the Banner (paseo del pendon), in which the 
Viceroy and the great officers of State and the nobility, 
together with the Archbishop and dignitaries of the 
Church, took part. Its principal feature was the carry- 
ing in state of the crimson banner (still preserved in the 
National Museum) that was borne by the conquerors. 
(See Hospital de San Hipolito.) 

Espfritu Santo. This church, an offshoot from San 
Hipolito, has been extinct since the year 1862. All that 
remains visible of it is its eastern wall, a part of which 
may be seen above the row of little shops on the west 
side of the Calle de Espiritu Santo. From the suppres- 
sion of the Hipolitan order (see Hospital de San Hipolito) 
in 1821, the church and its adjoining convent was vari- 
ously used, as a school, and as a printing-house, until 
1853, when it was given to the Congregation of St. Vin- 
cent de Paul — by which the property was occupied until 
the order was suppressed. May 28, 1861. 

Nuestra Senora de Loreto (N. 38). The first repre- 
sentatives in Mexico of the Company of Jesus (founded by 
Saint Ignatius Loyola in 1534) sailed from Cadiz June 13, 
1572, and landed at Vera Cruz on the 9th of the ensuing 
September. They were housed temporarily in the hos- 
pital of Jesus Nazareno, and soon took possession of lands 
given them by Alonzo de Villaseca, where they erected, 
in 1576, the church and college of San Pedro y San 
Pablo (L. 70). They were opposed by the Dominicans, 
and the college that they established brought them into 
conflict with the University ; but in time these differences 
were adjusted. The order was suppressed, by the de- 



EELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 145 

cree of the Spanish Cortes of June 25, 17G7 ; was re-es- 
tabUshed by the royal order of September 10, 1815 ; 
and was suppressed again by the order of Ferdinand VII., 
confirmed by the Cortes, of September 6, 1820 — the order 
being promulgated in Mexico January 22, 1821. Under 
the Presidency of Santa Ana, by the decree of September 
19, 1853, the order once more was established in Mexico, 
only to be suppressed again, and finally, during the 
Presidency of Comonfort, by the decree of June 7, 1856. 
The church and college of San Pedro y San Pablo, after 
undergoing various vicissitudes — being in turn a hall of 
assembly for Congi^ess, a theatre, a church once more, a 
library, a military hospital, a storehouse for forage in the 
time of the French occupation — finally became extinct ; 
thus leaving the Loreto as the oldest remaining of the 
Jesuit foundations. 

The pious Cacique of Tacuba, Don Antonio Cortes, 
built for the Jesuit Fathers, in 1573, a little church of canes 
dedicated to Saint Gregorio. (See Escuela Correcional de 
Artes y Oficios.) A more stable, though small, church 
succeeded this primitive structure. About the year 1675 
the Father Juan B. Zapata came to Mexico, bringing with 
him the image of Nuestra Sefiora de Loreto together with 
the plans and drawings of the Santa Casa. This house 
of the Virgin he desired to erect iu Mexico, but his in- 
tention did not become effective. A chapel was built 
for the accommodation of the image upon the site oc- 
cupied by the baptistry of the church of San Gregorio. 
The worship of the image growing apace, new and larger 
chapels were built, successively, in the years 1686 and 
1738. Upon the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, the 
image was taken temporarily to the church of the Incar- 
nacion ; and then for its shelter the present fine church of 
10 



146 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

tlie Loreto was erected This was begun in the year 1809, 
and was dedicated August 29, 1816. It was built at the 
charges of Senor Don Antonio de Bassoco, and his wife 
the Marquesa de Castaiiiza, at a cost of $517,000, from the 
plans of the architects Manuel Toisa and Agustin Paz. 
An architectural peculiarity to be observed in the build- 
ing is that for the minor branches of the Latin cross are 
substituted four rotundas, above the circular walls of 
which, and above the main arches of the nave, rises a 
superb dome — the grandest both in size and treatment 
now to be found in the capital. Upon one of the altars 
is a fine Virgin and Child by Pina, and the church con- 
tains some interesting paintings by the eighteenth cen- 
tury artist Joaquin Esquivel. In the construction of the 
church the curious error was made of building the east- 
ern wall of a solid and the western wall of a porous stone, 
with the result that the western wall has settled to such 
an extent that the church is very perceptibly out of the 
perpendicular. This dangerous sinking, together with 
the inundation of the building, that still further threat- 
ened its integrity, caused the church to be closed from 
the year 1832 till the year 1850 — the image meantime 
being housed in the church of San Pedro y San Pablo. 
Previous to its reopening examination of the building by 
competent engineers led to the conclusion that no fur- 
ther settling of the walls was likely to occur — a conclu- 
sion justified by the fact that no change in its condition 
has since taken place. The curious crookedness of the 
church may be best observed from about the centre of 
the plazuela upon which it fronts. 

Nuestra Seffora de la Wierced. The Order of 
Our Lady of Mercy {Nuestra Senor a de la Merced) was 
founded, in August, 1218, by San Pedro Nolasco, some- 



EELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 147 

time the tutor of the young King JcO-mcs of Aragon, better 
known as Don Jaymo el Conquistador. The principal 
motive of the order was the rescue of Christians held 
captive by the Moors. Later it became a purely religious 
institution, and as such only (with the amusing excep- 
tion noted below) was known in Mexico. Its chroniclers 
affirm, and such is the fact, that it was the first of the 
religious orders represented in Mexico, inasmuch as one 
of its members, Fray Bartolome de Olmedo, was in the 
company of Cortes. But it also is a fact that the order 
was not regularly founded in Mexico until the year 
1574, and its first convent was not completed until the 
year 1593. Both church and convent were very small. 
By sturdy begging the brothers presently acquired a 
capital of $18,000, which was invested in the purchase 
of a certain landed estate, the property of Guillermo Bor- 
ondate, erroneously (see p. 74) believed to have been 
previously occupied by the arsenal in which the famous 
" brigantines " of the siege were housed. Here in IGOl 
they founded a new church and convent ; and very con- 
siderably extended their lands by the purchase of adja- 
cent property, and by taking forcible possession of a 
small street by which their estate was divided. In order 
to obtain the right to close and take possession of this 
street, they asked title to it from the Viceroy, Don Gas- 
par de Zufiiga — who very promptly refused their request. 
Paying no attention to this refusal, they worked so hard 
through a whole night that in the morning the street 
was closed at its two ends by stout walls ; at sight of 
which the citizens living thereabouts, angered by this 
invasion of their rights, set themselves in aiTay to tear 
the walls down. But the monks, not having lost their 
military instinct, so valiantly defended their ill-gotten 



148 MEXICAN" GUIDE. 

property that their besiegers were repulsed. Nor was 
the appeal of the citizens to the Viceroy niore successful. 
Don Gaspar paid no attention to their complaint, and 
the street remained from that time onward closed. 
Later, a magnificent church costing $150,000 was built 
here, the first stone of which was laid March 20, 1634, 
and which was dedicated August 30, 1654. Upon the 
suppression of the order, in 1860, the church was par- 
tially destroyed, together with the convent ; new streets 
were laid out through the property and the market of 
the Merced (Mercado de Merced) was here established. 
Upon the destruction of this church the church of Belen 
de los Padres remained the oldest surviving foundation 
of the order. 

Belen de los Padres (S. 43). In the years imme- 
diately succeeding the Conquest there lived, near by 
where the church of Belen de los Padres now stands, a 
pious Indian woman named Clara Maria, the owner of a 
small landed estate. In their walks in the fields the 
Brothers of Mercy passed often her door, and she was so 
well pleased with them and with their holy work that 
she offered to present them with land for a monastery, 
and to maintain the monastery, should they build one 
near a little chapel that she herself already had raised. 
Accordingly such a little monastery was built beside the 
chapel, and the good Clara Maria punctually fulfilled her 
promise during the space of eleven years : providing the 
maintenance of the monastery and herself daily cleans- 
ing and decorating the chapel. At the end of this time 
she married a good-for-nothing ("bad-head," mala cabeza, 
to quote exactly the words of the ancient chronicle) 
who speedily spent all her substance, and left both her 
and the miniature religious establishment utterly desti- 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 149 

tute. What became of poor Clara Maria, the chronicler 
does not tell ; but for the brothers there was raised up 
most opportunely another Indian patron, Juan Marcos, 
who gave them the land on which the present church 
stands, and who dedicated himself and his family to 
their service. A certain Dona Ysabel de Picazo supple- 
mented this gift by giving her considerable fortune for 
the building of the new church — which was dedicated, 
under the name of Nuestra Senora de Belen, August 3, 
1678. The present church, built by the munificence of 
Don Domingo del Campo y Murga, was dedicated De- 
cember 14, 1735. Adjoining the church and convent 
was built (being opened in April, 1687) the college of 
San Pedro Pascual. The monastery and college, of 
course, were extinguished by the Laws of the Reform. 

San Diego (I. 16). Of the third company of discalced 
Franciscans (styled Dieguinos in Mexico) that passed 
westward to the Philippine Islands, nine remained in 
Mexico to found the order there. On the 27th of July, 
1591, they began to build the church and monastery 
of San Diego in the plaza then called the Tianquis 
(market-place) de San Hipolito, the charges of the 
work being borne by a pious gentleman, Don Mateo 
Mauleon, and his wife. Work was pushed so vigorously, 
that in 1593 they removed from their temporary quar- 
ters in the hospice at San Cosme (which see) to their 
own monastery. The church was built less rapidly, be- 
ing finally dedicated in September, 1621. It survived 
for nearly two hundred years, the present church having 
been built early in the present century. By the Laws 
of the Reform the monks were expelled and the mon- 
astery was changed into dwelling houses. The church, 
being property vested in private hands, was not dis- 



150 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

turbed. Services continue to' be held in it. San Diego, 
at the west end of the Alameda, is not a large church 
but it is richly decorated. Attention should be paid es- 
pecially to the chapel of Los Dolores, the most harmo- 
niously decorated of any chapel in the capital. Fifteen 
large pictures by Vallejo completely cover the walls, the 
more notable being " Tlie Last Supper," *'The Prayer 
in the Garden," and "The Exposition of Christ." In the 
four angles beneath the dome are good statues of the 
four Evangelists, and on each side of the main altar are 
allegorical pictures, dedicated, resjDectively, to the Vir- 
gin of Guadalupe and San Jos6, which are deserving of 
attention. The main church contains a handsome tab- 
ernacle, completed through the exertions of the illus- 
trious Fray Carnago. In the sacristy are some credita- 
ble pictures representing scenes in the life of the "Virgin. 
Nuestra SeFiora del Carmen (L. 17). The first 
members of the Carmelite order established in Mexico 
came in the fleet that accompanied the Viceroy Villa 
Manrique, and entered the city October 18, 1585. They 
were first established in some houses adjacent to the 
church of San Sebastian, of which they took charge — 
their entry into these houses and their administration 
of the affairs of the parish being in accordance with per- 
mission given by the Viceroy : but most vigorously, 
though ineffectually, opposed by the Franciscans, by 
whom the church had been built and to whom the houses 
belonged. Twenty years later the church and monas- 
tery were established in their present situation, the 
church of San Sebastian being turned over to the Au- 
gustinians. After several partial renewals the Carmen 
was pulled down, about the middle of the last century, 
in order to erect a new and magnificent church. But 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 151 

this project never got beyond the foundations for the 
main building, and the completion of the church now 
existing — a relatively small building, that was included 
in the plan as a chapel. In 18G6 the monastery was 
turned into dwelling-houses, and in May of that year the 
treasures of the church were taken possession of by the 
government and its tower was destroyed. Later, it was 
reopened and services continue to be held in it. 

Nuestra SeRora de Monserrate (V. 48). About 
the year 1580 there lived in Mexico two devotees of the 
Virgin of Monserrate, who caused to be brought for 
them from Monserrate, in Catalonia, a replica of the 
famous image there preserved. It was their purpose to 
build for the housing of the holy image a church, and 
with the church also a hospital. A brotherhood was 
organized, and a small hospital was built on the site of 
the present MoUno de Belen— which did good service 
during the pestilence (known as the cocoliztli) among the 
Indians. Later it was decided to build a monastery and 
church in the city, but dissensions in the brotherhood 
led to difficulties with the archbishop and suits in the 
civil courts ; so that, finally, the brotherhood was dis- 
solved and the church (built in 1590) and the monastery 
were turned over to the Benedictines of Monserrate — 
— two members of which monastery came from Spain 
(in the year 1602) to take possession of it and to organ- 
ize the religious establishment. The order finally was 
established in the year 1614 ; but its house never 
had more than eight or ten members, and never passed 
beyond the condition of a priory, always remaining 
subject to the abbot of Monserrate in Spain. Notwith- 
standing its unfortunate beginning, this learned and use- 
ful order prospered in Mexico, and in return conferred 



152 MEXICAK GUIDE. 

upon the country substantial benefits. Following their 
custom in Europe, its members were zealous in the 
good work of teaching ; they enriched the literature of 
the country with a number of important works, besides 
copying many valuable manuscripts, and so giving to 
their contents a wider currency ; they introduced into 
Mexico many fruits and vegetables from the old world ; | 
they were noted always for their charity and good works. 
On the 20th of January, 1821, the order in Mexico— then 
consisting of two priests and two lay-brothers — was sup- 
pressed by order of the Spanish Cortes. The church 
remains open. Three pictures from the priory are pre- 
served in the Academy, the most important of which is 
St. John in the Desert, by the celebrated Spanish artist 
Zurbaran. 

San Juan de Dios (I. 72). The present church 
was built upon the site of the little chapel (built about 
1582) of Nuestra Seiiora de los Desamparados, attached 
to the hospital of the same name, and was dedicated 
May 16, 1629. It was partially destroyed by fire March 
10, 1766, and then was rebuilt as it now is seen. It has 
a very handsome recessed portal, and a fine fa9ade. The 
eftect of the side upon the street has been destroyed 
by the erection of a row of highly objectionable houses. 
(See Hospital de San Juan de Dios.) 

San L^zaro (P. 71). Cortes founded a hospital for 
lepers that soon became extinct. To meet the need for 
such an institution, the Hospital of San Lazaro, with its 
church of the same name, was founded by the philan- 
thropic Dr. Pedro Lopez in the year 1572. The hos- 
pital was maintained at the charges of Dr. Lopez and 
his descendants until the year 1721. From that date it 
was in charge of the Juaninos (Brothers of St. John), 



KELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 153 

until the suppression of the order in 1821. It then 
passed into the control of the municipality, and finally 
was extinguished, the patients being transferred to the 
Municipal Hospital, August 12, 1862. The present 
church was erected in 1721 (when the property passed 
into the hands of the Juauinos) at the charges of Father 
Buenaventura Medina Picazo. The cost of the church 
was $75,175, and of the organ and interior decorations 
$7,867. The church was the finest belonging to the 
order in Mexico. 

San Antonio Abad (W. 53). Upon the arrival of the 
first representatives of the order of San Antonio Abad in 
Mexico (1628) they built for themselves a church and 
a convent-hospital for contagious diseases in the south- 
eastern suburb of the city — the church being very small, 
and the hospital, for the period, very large. The order 
never exceeded ten in number, in this establishment ; 
and was extinguished, in common with the order gener- 
ally in Spain and Spanish dependencies, by the bull of 
Pius VI. (August 24, 1787) — on the representation of 
Charles III. that the houses of the order practically were 
deserted because of the gadding tendencies of its mem- 
bers. All that remains of this establishment in Mexico 
is the Capilla de San Antonio Abad (W. 53) ; but the 
name survives in many waj^s in the vicinity of the foun- 
dation : the Calzada de San Antonio Abad, the Garita de 
San Antonio Abad, the Puente de San Antonio Abad and 
the Calle de San Antonio Abad all derive their names 
from this source. 

La Profesa (K. 36). Properly speaking, the name 
of this church is San Jose el Keal, Oratorio de San 
Felipe Neri ; but popular custom has retained its primi- 
tive name. It is a Jesuit foundation, of 1595, built 



154 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

upon property bequeathed by Don Fernando Nuiiez 
Obregon. The present church was dedicated, as the 
Casa Profesa de la Compania de Jesus, August 28, 1720 ; 
and remained in the possession of the Jesuits until their 
expulsion from Mexico in 1767. (See church of the 
Loreto.) The church, with its dependent very consider- 
able estate of houses and lands in its vicinity, then re- 
verted to the government ; of which the property was 
bought by the Felipenses (Oratorians) in 1771 — their 
own habitation, and a magnificent church partially com- 
pleted, having been destroyed by the earthquake of 
April 4, 1768. This division of the congregation of San 
Felipe Neri, an unvowed religious order, had its inde- 
pendent origin in Mexico. It was founded by Don An- 
tonio Calderon Benavides in 1657, in accordance with 
the rule of San Felipe Neri, and eventually was incor- 
porated with the Congregation by the Papal bull of De- 
cember 24, 1697 ; being then instituted as the Oratorio 
de Mexico. The church, an elegant building of nave 
and aisles, is one of the finest in the city. It was de- 
signed by Pelegrin Clave, by whom — assisted by his 
three most famous pupils, Petronilo Monroy, Jose Ea- 
mirez and Felipe Castro— its best pictures, representing 
the Seven Sacraments and the Adoration of the Cross, 
were painted. The interior is very richly decorated in 
white and gold ; and its main altar is one of the most 
notable works of the architect Tolsa. The magnificent 
drapings of crimson velvet embroidered with gold, used 
on the great festivals, were presented by Father Man- 
ual Sanchez de Tagle y Bolea ; a notable benefactor of 
the church. At the time of the purchase of the edifice by 
the Felipenses, its name was changed to San Jose el Eeal ; 
but the name of Profesa, having been in current use for 



RELIGIOUS foundatio:n-s. 155 

nearly seventy years, was too firmly fixed in the popular 
mind to be abandoned ; and to this day that name is re- 
tained. The street upon which the church fronts, how- 
ever, is called San Jose el Real — while the street upon 
its southern side (in reality the Third of San Francisco) 
often is called the Calle de Profesa. Upon this southern 
side of the church the municipality caused to be made, 
in the year 1885, a very pretty little garden. The 
buildinpfs at one time belonGfinof to the church have for 

o o o 

the most part disappeared, and the few remaining have 
been materially modified. After the expulsion of the 
order (under the general law of suppression) the prop- 
erty reverted to the government, and in February', 1861, 
the work of demolition was begun for the opening of the 
fine Calle del Cinco de Mayo. 

Betlemitas (K. 31). The order of Betlemitas (Beth- 
lehemites) was founded in Guatemala, in the year 1G53, 
by Pedro de San Jose Vetancurt, a " descendant of the 
ancient Kings of the Canary Islands," and a cousin of the 
chronicler. Its object was the care of the sick and the 
education of youth. The order was founded in the City 
of Mexico in 1674, and in March of the ensuing year re- 
ceived the lands upon which the present church building 
stands. Their hospital was opened, with nineteen beds. 
May 29, 1675. The present church building was erected 
at the charges of Don Manuel Gomez, the corner-stone 
being laid June 2, 1681, and the church dedicated Sep- 
tember 29, 1687. In the monastery attached to the 
church were the free schools for which the order was 
famous ; not less famous for the thoroughness of the 
teaching than for the vigorous methods by which study 
and discipline were enforced. Among the much be-fer- 
uled pupils was current the dismal aphorism : " learn- 



156 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

ing is bought with blood ! " — la letra con sangre entra ! 
The order was suppressed by a decree of the Spanish 
Cortes of 1820. The monastery for a time was occupied 
as a military school, later was occupied in part by the 
nuns of the Enseiianza Nueva (which see) and in part by 
the school of the Compaiiia Lancasteriana (which see) — 
the latter still being in possession. The church build- 
ing has been transformed into a public library. (See 
Libraries, Betlemitas.) 

Colegio de las NiPias (K. 40). This educational es- 
tablishment, of which now the church only survives, was 
founded in the year 1548 by Fray Pedro de Gante as a 
free school for poor girls of good position. It was gov- 
erned and administered by the Archicofradia del Santis- 
imo Sacramento, and being an institution well-meriting 
approval and aid it acquired, by gifts and bequests, a 
very considerable estate. All of this estate, including 
the handsome building in which the school was housed, 
passed into the hands of the government under the op- 
eration of the Laws of the Reform. The school building 
is now occupied by the German club. The little church 
remains open. 

San Fernando (G. 18). The Order of San Fer- 
nando, belonging to the Franciscan apostolic college 
called of the ProxDaganda Fide, was first established in 
New Spain, in the city of Queretaro, in the year 1650. 
The order was founded in the City of Mexico about the 
year 1693 by the venerable Fray Antonio Margil de Je- 
sus ; and the college was established in the city by the 
royal order of October 15, 1733. The corner-stone of 
the present church was laid October 11, 1735, and the 
church was dedicated — with most imposing ceremonies 
extending over five days — April 20, 1755. The church 



EELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 157 

is one of the largest in the city, and before its recent re- 
construction was decorated in a st3de of elegant severity. 
It was badly shattered by the earthquake of June 19, 
1858 ; and while the necessary work of reconstruction 
was in j^i'ogress the Juarez government possessed the 
city and for a season the church was closed. The repairs 
have been completed, but much of its original beauty is 
now lost. Its altars, in the churrigueresque style, have 
entirely disappeared, and so have many fine paintings 
which once adorned it. A few paintings yet remain, the 
most notable of which are a " Birth of Christ — " illustra- 
ting a mass of the Nativity — and " Duns Scotus before 
the Doctors of the Church." From all of the paintings 
the names of the artists have disappeared. Upon the sup- 
pression of the religious orders the church was partially 
dismantled, and the monastery was sold into private hands 
— being subsequently (September, 18G2) in great part 
demolished in order to open the Avenida Guerrero. 
Adjoining this church is the burial place of San Fernando 
(which see). 

San Camilo (V. 99). The Camilists, vowed to the 
care of the sick and the consolation of the dying, were es- 
tablished in Mexico by Father Diego Martin de Moj'-a in 
the year 1755. Their monastery was extinguished by the 
laws of the Reform. It is now occupied by the Catholic 
Theological Seminary. The church remains — a small 
building, with an interior tastefully decorated in white 
and gold. Its official name now is the church of the 
Seminario Conciliar. 

Nuestra SePiora de la Concepcion (J. 19). This 
(in Mexico) Franciscan order was founded in the City of 
Mexico (under a royal order given in 1530) in the year 
1541 : in which year Fray Antonio de la Cruz, a Francis- 



158 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 



can, brought from the convent of Santa Ysabel de Sala- 
manca three nuns by whom the convent, the first convent 
of nuns in New Spain, was estabhshed. The first house 
of the order became ruinous about the year 1644 ; and 
then was built— at the charges of Don Tomas SuazLaba, 
and of Don Simon de Haro and Dona Ysabel Barrera,' 
his wife— the convent, and the church now existing, at a 
total cost of $250,000. The church, repaired in 1809, 
and again in 1854, is a very elegant building of the 
Greek composite order, and before the Reform was dec- 
orated throughout its interior with extraordinary mag- 
nificence. Some portion of this decoration still remains. 
The tower is one of the highest in the city. Over the 
main altar is an image of the Purisima Concepcion, the 
origin of which is lost in antiquity. There is a tradition 
to the effect that in the rear of the organ was a damp 
place caused by the falling, ina most mysterious manner 
and at long intervals, of drops of water. The source of 
the drops never could be found, although most diligent 
search was made by masons to find some flaw in the roof 
that would account for them. To one of the nuns of the 
convent it was revealed in a vision that the drops were a 
sort of heavenly clock, marking off the years of the con- 
vent's existence and that when the dropping ceased the 
convent would fall. As the convent was secularized 
under the Laws of the Reform and has been changed 
into dwelling houses, this supernatural water-clock may 
be supposed to have ticked out its prophecy to a com- 
plete fulfilment. The convent was the most fashionable 
religious establishment in Mexico, its inmates being re- 
cruited from among the noblest families of the land. Its 
wealth was prodigious, a valuation of its property at the 
time of secularization showing a total of $1,G60,955. 



KELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 159 

Through the convent 2-)roperty have been opened the 
streets of Progreso and Cinquenta-siete. 

La Balvanera (V. 21). Upon its foundation by Con- 
ccpeionistas in the year 1573 this convent and church 
were dedicated to Jesus de la Penitencia. Later, the 
dedication was changed to Nuestra Seiiora de Balvanera. 
The primitive church having fallen into decay, the exist- 
ing church was built by the Liccnciado Joso de Lombeida 
with property bequeathed for that purpose by the Dona 
Hoatriz de Miranda — the source whence the building 
fund came being so well concealed that not until the 
Licenciado's death was the charity of Dona Beatriz 
known. The corner-stone was laid May 3, 1GG7, and the 
church was dedicated December 7, 1G71. Since that 
date it has been materially repaired. 

Santa Clara (K. 33). Francisca do San Agustin 
and her five daughters lived together a holy life of re- 
tirement from the world in the beaterio adjoining the 
chapel (now the church) of La Santisima (see p. 181) : 
a little dwelling given them by the Aj^untamiento un- 
til such time as they should find benefactors to build 
them a convent. These they found in the persons of Don 
Alonzo Sanchez and his wife, who gave them a house at 
the corner of the present Calles Vergara and Santa Clara ; 
and here, upon the 22d of December, 1579, they took up 
their abode — having previously, January 4, 1579, taken 
upon themselves the vows of the order of Santa Clara in 
the church of the Conccpcion. The church of Santa 
Clara was dedicated October 22, IGGl. This church, 
and a large part of the convent, were partially destroyed 
by fire April 5, 1755. The present church, practically, 
dates from the completion of the restoration after the 
fire, March 18, 175G. The convent was closed February 



ICO MEXICAN GUIDE. 

13, 18G1, find subsequently was sold and transformed 
into dwelling houses. The church, lacking its choir, re- 
mains open. At the outer corner of the church, on the 
Calles Vergara and Santa Clara, was a little chapel, com- 
pleted and dedicated to La Purisima January 7, 1730. 
This building remains, but has been degraded into a 
very shabby shop. The main altar escaped destruction 
in the fire, and presumably is that now to be seen in the 
church — in which case (vide Vetancurt) it is the work of 
the celebrated ecclesiastical artificer Pedro Ramirez. 

Jesus Maria (O. 22). About the year 1577, two 
pious men, Pedro Tomas Denia and Gregorio de Pes- 
quera, conceived the purpose of founding a convent 
into which the descendants of the Conquerors should be 
received without dower. With money of their own to 
the amount of nearly $5,000, and with alms given them, 
they purchased property at the corner of the present 
Puente de Mariscala and Callejon de Sta Cruz, and there 
built a little convent and a little church. The author- 
ization for this establishment was given by Pope Greg- 
ory Xin. in a bull dated January 21, 1578, in which was 
decreed that the convent should be known as Jesus 
Maria, and that the nuns entering it should take the 
vows and be under the direction of the Concepcionistas. 
Therefore it was that the first nuns to enter into the 
new convent came from the convent of the Concepcion ; 
and this took place February 10, 1580 ; and on the en- 
suing day both church and convent, with solemn cere- 
monies, were dedicated. The site of the convent proving 
damp and unhealthful, especially because of the inunda- 
tion of that year, a new site was purchased — that where 
the church now is — and thither, September 13, 1582, 
the establishment was removed. It is said that about 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 161 

this time there came to dwell in the convent of the Con- 
cepcion, and thence presently removed to this convent 
of Jesus Maria, a nun who was the daughter of King 
PhiUp n. ; and who also was the niece of the then Arch- 
bishop of Mexico, Don Pedro Mo^-a de Contreras, later 
Viceroy of the Province, and first Inquisitor General of 
New Spain — some of which honors, at least, fairly may 
be supposed to have come to this excellent prelate through 
his sister's connection with the King. It is certain that 
the coming of this nun to the convent of Jesus Maria 
was of great material benefit to the establishment. It 
was raised to the titular order of a royal convent ; es- 
pecial directions were given from Spain for its care and 
protection by the authorities of the Province ; and from 
both the Provincial and Koyal treasuries large sums of 
money were given it. With the money thus obtained 
the corner-stone of the existing church was laid ^Nlarch 
9, 1597 ; and the church (lacking then its tower) was 
dedicated February 7, 1G21. The convent also was much 
enlarged and improved, " so that the presence of that 
lady within its walls was to all a blessing." February 
13, 180 1, the nuns were expelled from the building, and 
the building itself was sold and changed into dwelling 
houses. The church is very massively, and, of its type, 
handsomely built. The interior is decorated in white and 
gold. In the apse is a good picture by Cordero, " Christ 
in the Temple," and the same subject, by Jimeno, is in 
the sacristy ; Jimeno also has two pictures in the tran- 
septs. 

San Gerdnimo (V. 23). This convent, founded un- 
der the Augustinian rule by the Concepcionistas, in the 
year 1586, was one of the most extensive establishments 
of its kind in Mexico. But its most enduring fame rests 
11 



1G2 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

upon the ffict that here Juana Inez de la Cruz, the cele- 
brated poetess and general writer, took the veil and lived 
for many years ; and that here, April 17, 1695, she died. 
The convent was suppressed under the Laws of the Re- 
form and a portion of it is now used as a barrack. An 
effort has been made recently (1885) by the ladies of the 
City of Mexico to purchase and preserve that portion 
of the building in which is the cell once occupied by the 
"Musa Mexicana." 

Santa Catalina de Sena (L. 32), By the exertions 
of two pious women named Felipas this Dominican or- 
der was founded in the City of Mexico July 3, 1593 ; 
when two nuns came from the convent of the order in 
Oaxaca and took possession of the little convent that the 
pious Felipas had prepared for their abode. Two years 
later the establishment was removed to the spot occu- 
pied by the existing convent building ; and shortly there- 
after the present church was built. The corner-stone of 
the church was laid August 15, 1615, and it was dedi- 
cated March 7, 1623. The convent was suppressed by 
the Laws of the Reform. 

San Juan de la Pen itencia (R. 34). In the quarter 
of the city then called Moyotla, a low-lying, swampy re- 
gion where only Indians dwelt, there was, in former 
times, in the place where the existing church now 
stands, the little chapel of San Juan Bautista. Tliis 
chapel was one of the four chapels founded by Fray 
Pedro de Gante about the year 1524 as adjuncts to the 
pai'ish church of San Jose in San Francisco. After a 
time, however, it was neglected, and but for the active 
piety of the Indians themselves would have utterly dis- 
appeared. These, abounding in good works, not only 
maintained it in repair, but built beside it a little hos- 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 163 

pice where travellers from distant parts coming to the 
city might be freely housed. Later, the wish arising 
in the hearts of these Indians that their hospice might 
be made a little convent of Santa Clara nuns — an order 
which they much loved — they petitioned the Viceroy, 
Don Luis de Velasco, that this might be ; and Don 
Luis, beholding gladly their piety, granted their prayer. 
So it came to pass that on the 18th day of July in the 
year of grace 1593, there came out from the convent of 
Santa Clara, being duly licensed by the Rev. Padre Fray 
Rodrigo de Santillan, four nuns ; and these, marching 
in procession, accompanied by the nobility of the city 
and a great multitude, went to the quarter where the 
little convent was and there took up their abode — being 
received by the pious Indians of that quarter, and many 
Indians gathered from afar, with glad shouts and dances 
and music and all manner of such signs as these bar- 
barics use to express great joy. And when, by an earth- 
quake, the church here built was destroyed, there was 
performed a miracle ; for a wooden figure of the Child 
Jesus that was in the church upraised its arm and stayed 
the fall of a great arch ! Which miracle being noised 
abroad, the figure thenceforth was held in great venera- 
tion ; and the fame of it caused great alms to be given 
quickly to the convent, so that the church in a little 
while was built anew. And when this second church, 
and the convent with it, grew ruinous with age and 
were pulled down, the convent and the present church 
were built at the charges of a pious woman, Dofia Juana 
Villasefior Lomelin ; the corner-stone of the church being 
laid February 6, 1695, and its dedication taking place 
January 24, 1711. But even the possession of its mir- 
aculous image did not save the convent of San Juan de 



ItU MEXICAN GUIDE. 

la Penitencia from tlie destructive force of the Laws of 
the Keforin. When the convents throughout Mexico 
were suppressed this also passed away. 

Nuestra SePlora de la Encarnacion (L. 30). This 
convent, the most magniticent in the city, practically re- 
mains intact, and from it may be obtained some notion 
of the elegance to which convent life was cai-ried in 
Mexico, in the richer establishments, before the Laws of 
the Reform were put in force. The foundation of Nues- 
ti'a Senora de la Encarnacion — usually spoken of simply 
as La Encarnacion — was laid in a small way March 21, 
1593, by nuns vowed to the rules of the Concepcion- 
istas, under the patronage of Dr. Sancho Sanchez do 
Muiion. New buildings quickly were erected, and a 
patron was found, in the person of Don Alvaro de Lor- 
enzana, who built the church from plans by the Jesuit 
Eather Luis Benitez at a cost of 8100,000. The corner- 
stone was laid December 18, 1639, and the church was 
dedicated with magniticent ceremonies (for which Don 
Alvaro paid, in cost of decorations, entertainment, etc., 
$3,113), March 7, 1618. At the end of the last centmy 
the cloister, extending in front of each of the three 
stories of the convent in the inner court-yard, was built 
by the architect Don Miguel Constanzo. This beauti- 
ful cloister remains unchanged. Here were deposited, 
after the suppression of the monastic orders, the very 
many pictures removed from the other convents and 
from the monasteries of the city. After the convent 
became government property it was used for various 
purposes, and is now (1886) occupied by the Law 
School (Escuela de Jurisprudencia), and a school for 
girls. The value of the property o\\aied by this convent 
when it was suppressed was $1,077,191. The church is 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 1G5 

without aisles, and loses somewhat in effect by the com- 
parative lowness of the vaulted roof. The interior has 
been modernized, new altars having been erected of the 
rattier meaningless Grecian type that has been in vogue 
in Mexico during the past century. The main altar, of 
comparatively recent construction, is notable for the 
lavish use of gold in its decoration. 

San Lorenzo (J. 24). This Augustinian establishment 
was founded in 1698 by four nuns from the convent of 
San Geronimo and two from the convent of Jesus Maria, 
the patrons of the foundation being Don Juan de Chav- 
arria Valero, and Dofia Maria Zaldivar Mendoza ; the 
latter being also the first novice. The present church 
was built at the charges of Juan Fernandez Eiofrio, and 
was dedicated July 16, 1650. The convent is now used 
by the Escuela de Artes y Oficios para hombres. 

Santa Inez (O. 45). In the year 1600 this convent 
was founded by nuns from the Concepcion, under the 
patronage of the Marqueses de la Cadena who spent 
upon the building and the church connected with it enor- 
mous sums. The convent, now converted into dwelling 
houses, contained many pictures by the Mexican artist 
Ibarra. The present church was dedicated January 20, 
1770. It has a line doorway of the Ionic order, and the 
large doors are richly ornamented with carvings in wood. 
After the suppression of the convent the church was dis- 
mantled and was closed for twenty years. It was re- 
opened June 11, 1883, under the name of the Sagrado 
Corazon de Jesus — but commonly is spoken of by its 
primitive name. 

Santa Ysabel (west side Calle de StaYsabel). This 
beautiful convent and church have almost entirely disap- 
peared. The tower of the church has been demolished, 



I 



166 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

but a portion of tlie sontliern wall still may be seen above 
the roofs of the houses on the western side of the Callo 
de Santa Ysabel. The convent property included the 
square between the Puente de San Francisco and the 
Callejon de Sta Ysabel, and the Calle de Sta Ysabel and 
the Mirador of the Alameda. After the suppression of 
the order all of this space, excepting the part occupied 
by the church, was transformed into dwelling houses — 
the handsome row of houses on the Mirador of the Ala- 
meda being then built — and the church Was occupied as 
a manufactory of silk. The convent was founded under 
the patronage of Dona Catarina de Peralta (who herself 
was the first novice), February 1, 1601. It was intended 
by the patroness that the establishment should be of the 
bare-footed first order of Santa Clara ; but as the situa- 
tion, by its dampness, offered but little encouragement to 
barefooted piety, the rule adopted was that of the Fran- 
ciscanas Urbanistas — an order that wears shoes. The 
convent was twice rebuilt, upon a scale of increasing mag- 
nificence, the latest building being completed May 27, 
1852. The order was celebrated for its piety and bene- 
ficence. 

San Jos^ de Cracia(V. 25). In a house that stood 
upon the present site of the church of San Jose de Gracia 
there met in ancient times a little company of pious wom- 
en, some widows and others wives, who associated them- 
selves together in a society to which they gave the name 
of Santa Monica. At the wish of this company that a con- 
vent should be established in the place where their meet- 
ings were held, Fray Garcia Guerra obtained the neces- 
sary license, and the convent was founded by two nuns 
from the convent of the Concepcion and two from the con- 
vent of the Encai'nacion, under the patronage of Don Fer- 



rp:ligious foundations. 167 

nando Villegiis, in the year IGIO ; in which time also was 
built the first church. About the year 1658, the church 
being then much dilapidated, the present building was 
erected at the charges of Don Navarro de Pastrana ; the 
comer-stone being laid March 19, 1659, and the dedica- 
tion taking place November 24, 1661. The convent, as 
such, has passed away. The church, becoming the prop- 
erty of the government when the Laws of the Reform 
went into effect, was purchased from the government, 
about the year 1870, by the Protestant organization 
known as The Mexican Branch of the Catholic Church of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. (See San Francisco.) 

Santa Teresa la Antigua (M. 26). The Carmelite 
order of Santa Teresa first was planted in New Sjoain in 
the year 1604, being then established in Puebla. Thence 
the order was established in the City of Mexico in this 
wise : There were in the convent of Jesus Maria two 
nuns devoted to the rule of Santa Teresa, which they 
followed under the guidance of the Carmelite Fathers. 
Hearing of their devotion, Don Juan Luis de Rivera of- 
fered to found in the city a convent of this order in which 
they might dwell. Dying before his pious purpose could 
be executed, he left provision for it in his will ; devising, 
for the use of the to-be convent, certain moneys and the 
house in which he had lived. Yet some years went by after 
Don Juan's death and no disposition was shown by his 
heirs to make the bequest operative ; and so the matter 
stood when there arrived in Mexico the new Archbishop, 
Don Juan Perez de la Serna. Now this Archbishop was 
a brisk and most punctual person, and so soon as he 
knew that the Church was defrauded of her rights by the 
heirs of Don Juan he went straightway to law with them ; 
and as the will of Don Juan was clear and exphcit the 



168 MEXICAI^' GUIDE. 

suit was adjudged in liis favor. Therefore, July 1, 1615, 
the money in dispute was paid over to him, and the 
possession of the houses was his. But here a new diffi- 
culty confronted him in the plump refusal of the tenants 
of those houses to move away. However, this Archbishop 
was a person of expedients. Gaining entrance to the 
houses in the night time, he caused to be built within 
them an altar : and in the first light of dawn on the 
morning of July 4, 1615, all of the recalcitrant tenants 
were aroused by a most prodigious thumping and shout- 
ing and ringing of bells, and then were bidden to attend 
at the impromptu altar while the Archbishop celebrated 
the mass. In wonder and astonishment they came ; and 
when the mass was at an end the Archbishop told them 
shortly that he had taken possession of those houses for 
a holy purpose with the authority of the Law and with 
the approval of the Church ; and that the sooner they 
got out of them the better. And thereupon they went. 
With the same energy that had characterized his fourth 
of July celebration, the Archbishop set workmen to the 
demolition of the buildings on the morning of the 5th ; 
and on the afternoon of the same day the foundations of 
the long-delayed convent were set in place ; and so furi- 
ously did this vigorous churchman push matters that on 
March 1, 1616, the two nuns who so long had desired to 
be of the order of Santa Teresa — having the day before 
taken the vows and assumed the Carmelite habit — were 
installed in their convent. Their installation was accom- 
panied by imposing ceremonies, at which the Vice-queen 
and some of the most noble ladies of the city assisted ; 
and the solemnity of the occasion so impressed one of the 
ladies in waiting upon the Vice-queen that then and there 
she became the convent's first novice. This convent was 



i. RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 169 

m 

dedicated, as was its church, to San Jose. The existing 
church was built at the charges of Seiior Esteban Mohna 
de Mosquera ; the corner-stone being laid October 8, 
1678, and the church dedicated to Nuestra Senora la 
Antigua (this dedication being expressly stipulated for 
by Don Esteban as a condition precedent to his patron- 
age) September 10, 1681. 

The convent and the church practically lost their primi- 
tive names (even before the convent was suppressed) ; 
these being merged in the name of the existing chapel 
of El Senor de Santa Teresa : and as there exists also 
a church (Santa Teresa la Nueva) dedicated to Santa 
Teresa, this church always is spoken of as Santa Teresa 
la Antigua. The beautiful chapel of El Sefior de Santa 
Teresa, in reality a large church, was built for the suita- 
ble housing of the miraculous crucifix still remaining 
there. This crucifix was brought from Spain in the j'ear 
1515, and was placed in the church of the mining town 
of the Cardonal (in the present State of Hidalgo), where 
it was known as the Santo Cristo de Cardonal. In course 
of time the crucifix became injured and unsightly and 
was thrown into a fire to be burned. The flames failincf 
to consume it, it was buried. Later, it chanced to be 
dug up again ; and was found still uninjured. Finally, 
it miraculously renewed its freshness and appeared as 
though newly made. Hearing of these things, the Arch- 
bishop of Mexico, Don Juan Perez de la Serna, caused it 
to be placed in an oratory ; and in 1634, his successor, 
Don Francisco Manzo de Zuiliga, caused a chapel to be 
built for it at his private charge. The crucifix was 
brought to the City of Mexico — though in order to secure 
it the emissaries of the Archbishop had to give regular 
battle to the people of the Cardonal, who most vigorously 



170 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

opposed its removal — and when tlie church of Nuostra 
Sonora la Antigua was erected an especijil chapel therein 
was provided for it. Tlie worship of the miraculous im- 
age spread rap>idly in the city, and as the chapel cou- 
ttiiniug* it was deemed too poor to be thus honored, a 
new one was built at the charges of Don Manuel Flores ; 
the corner-stone being laid December 17, 1798, and the 
dedication taking place May 17, 1813. This structure, 
of which a considerable portion still remains, was con- 
sidered one of the most beautiful church buildings ever 
erected in Mexico ; and the greatest work of its archi- 
tect, Don Antonio Yelasquez, tirst Professor of Architec- 
ture in tlie Academy of San Carlos. It was badly shat- 
tered by the e;u*tliquake of April 7, 1815. The beautiful 
dome, a part of the vaulted roof, luid the apse were de- 
stroyed—the destruction of the apse involving also that 
of a curious fresco by Jimeno representing the light be- 
tween the servants of the Archbishop and the people of 
the Oardonal. The miraculous crucitix (thereby doing 
violence to the precedents in its history of two hundred 
ycfu-s earlier) was somewhat damaged. Pending the re- 
construction of the chapel, it was placed in the cathedrjxl. 
The chapel was repaired under the direction of the archi- 
tect Don Lorenzo Hidalga (the work going on slowly as 
alms for its prosecution were received) and was reopened 
May 9, 1858 — when, with very imposing ceremonies, the 
miraculous crucitix was brought back from the cathedral. 
The existing dome is one of the most beautiful in the 
city (though said to be less elegant in its proportions 
than that which it replaced). As seen from the door of 
the church, its upper part is most etiectively lighted by 
a row of windows entirely concealed by a break in the 
vaulting. The line shape and proportions of the original 



RELIGIOUH FOUNDATIOXS. 171 

chapel by Volasquez of courBO are preHerved ; as are tlio 
original archr^H and imposinp^ Corinthian columnH. Sev- 
eral good picturoH l^y Cordero are in the cLapel, though 
the best are copies — llaphael'H " TranHfiguration " and 
Titian's ** Assumption." 

Santa Teresa la Nueva (O. 27). A church and con- 
vent of Carniehte nuns were founded by thin order under 
tlie patronage of Don Esteban MoUna de Mosr]uera (pa- 
tron also, as stated above, of the church of Santa Teresa 
la Antigua). The comer-stone of the church was laid 
September 21, 1701, and the church was dedicated Janu- 
ary 25, 1715-10. 

San Bernardo (^L '*/.)). Don Juan ^larquez do 
Orozco, a rich merchant of the City of Mexico, dying in 
1021, left his house and goods, valued at 800,000, to 
found a convent under the Cistercian rule. Fourteen 
years having elapsed leaving this bequest still unused, 
no nuns of the Cistercian order having come from Spain 
to make it operative, three sisters of the deceased mer- 
chant, nuns in the convent of liegina Cojli, together 
with two other nuns in the same establishment, ol>- 
tained permission to live in the vacant building where 
J>>on Juan had intended that his nunner}' should be 
fr>unded. Here they established themselves in the year 
1 036 : and thus was the foundation of the convent of 
San Bernardo laid. There being here no church, and the 
Ijuilding Ijeing unsuited to convent purposes, a patron 
was found in the person of Don Jose Ketes Largaclje, 
at whose charges both were built. The corner-stone of 
the church was laid June 24, 1085 ; and the church was 
dedicated June 18, 1G90. The present church building, 
into which some portion of the older building was 
incorporated, was dedicated September 29, 1777. Upon 



172 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

the suppression of the convent the church was dis- 
mantled, and for a time was used as a storehouse. It 
has been reopened. Its fayade may be seen, as though a 
framed picture, from tlie northern end of the Callejon 
de la Callejuela — the little street running southwai'd 
from the Plaza Mayor. The convent in part has been 
destroyed m order to open the Calle de Ocampo. 

Capuchin as. The tirst members of the order of 
Capuchiuas in Mexico, coming from a convent of the 
order in Toledo, arrived in the capital October 8, 16G5. 
These came to accept the bequest of Dona Ysabel de 
Barrera, widow of Don Simon de Haro, who in her will 
had bequeathed the house in which she had dwelt and 
$10,000 in money for the founding of a convent of this 
order. Upon their ai-rival thej' were received into the 
convent of the Concepcion until their own convent should 
be ready for their habitation ; and this building being 
completed they were inducted into it, with solemn cere- 
monies, May 29, 1666. The primitive church, built with 
a portion of Dona Ysabel's bequest, was replaced by a 
larger structui'e that was dedicated, September 11, 1756, 
to San FeHpe de Jesus, the Mexican proto-martyr. In 
February, 1861, both convent and church were demol- 
ished in order to open the Calle Lerdo — an extension 
southward of the Ciille de la Palma. All that remains 
now of this foundation is its name, that still designates 
the street on which the church of the Capuchiuas faced. 

Corpus Christi (I. 35). The then Viceroy, Don 
Baltasar de Zuniga, Mai-ques de Valera, wishing to es- 
tablish a Capuchin convent into which should be re- 
ceived only Indian girls of noble descent [ninas caciques 
y nobles) bought the property upon which the church 
and convent building of Corpus Christi now stand. At 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 173 

a charge of $40,000 ho erected tho convent and church, 
the corner-stone being laid September 12, 1720, and the 
church being dedicated July 10, 1724. On the 13th of 
July following, the Bisters of the foundation — coming 
from the convents of Santa Clara, San Juan de la Peni- 
tencia and Santa Ysabcl — took possession of the new 
convent. In order to enforce his wish that the convent 
should receive Indian nuns only, Don Baltasar obtained 
from the Pope, Benedict XIIL, a most peremptory bull 
(given June 2G, 1727) commanding that only such should 
be received within its walls. In this convent was tho 
custom that novices taking the veil should be dressed in 
the richest possible Indian costume, the ceremony be- 
ing one of the most distinctive sights of the Mexican 
capital previous to the adoption of the Laws of the lie- 
form. The convent has been transformed into dwelling 
houses. The church, a small building without aisles, 
remains open. 

Santa Brfglda (K. 28). The order of Bridgittine 
nuns (founded by Saint Bridget of Sweden about 1344, 
and introduced into Spain by Queen Ysabel, wife of Philip 
rV., October 8, 1734) was founded in Mexico by Span- 
ish nuns under the patronage of Don Jose Francisco do 
Aguirre and his wife Dofia Gertrudis Boldan. By these 
pious persons the convent and church of Santa Brigida 
(the sole establishment of the order in Mexico) were 
completed, December 21, 1744, and immediately were 
taken possession of by the founders — who had arrived 
in the city on the 13th of September, 1743, and had been 
housed, meanwhile, in the convent of Regina Coeli. 
Upon the confiscation of church property the church of 
Santa Brigida was bought by a rich family of the city, 
and, being held in trust for church uses, remains open 



174 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

for worship. It is too modern a building to be especi- 
ally interesting, and is maintained in a condition of such 
aggressive newness and freshness that it possesses little 
claim to consideration from the standpoint of the pic- 
turesque. But it is the most fashionable church in the 
City of Mexico. 

Ensenanza Antigua (M. 29). The Compania de 
Maria, an order having in charge the preparatory teach- 
ing of girls, was founded in Bordeaux by Jeanne de Les- 
tonac about the year 1600 as a counter-stroke to the 
then recently established Calvinistic schools. The found- 
ers of the order in Mexico came from the convent of 
Bessiers, in Barcelona, arriving in the City of Mexico 
August 30, 1753. Pending the completion of their con- 
vent, they were housed in the convent of Eegina Coeli, 
They purchased, June 22, 1754, for $39,000, certain 
houses in the Calle de Cordobanes ; and these, being 
modified to their purposes, they took possession of in 
the month of October following. On the 21st of Novem- 
ber the house was formally blessed by the Archbishop 
under this ample and imposing name : Nuestra Seiiora 
del Pilar de religiosas de la Ensenanza, escuela de Maria. 
The church belonging to the establishment was dedi- 
cated November 23, 1754. At later dates the convent 
building was enlarged to its present proportions. It is 
now occupied in part by the Palacio de Justicia (M. 91), 
and in part by the school for the blind. The church is 
open for worship. There are here some good pictures 
of the early Mexican school. 

EnsePianza Nueva. This was a branch estabhsh- 
ment of the Ensenanza Antigua, founded, under the 
patronage of the then Bishop of Durango, Don Francisco 
de Castafiiza, in the year 1811. It was intended, exclu- 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 176 

sively, for the education of Indian girls. The institution, 
after being housed in several successive buildings, was 
suppressed by the Laws of the Reform. The only trace 
of it surviving is the name of the street where it first 
was established : Colegio de las Inditas — the College of 
the Indian girls. 

College of the Sisters of Charity (J. 64). The 
large building in which the Sisters of Charity were 
housed, north of the Plaza de Villamil, was built at a 
cost of $150,000, by Padre Bolea Sanchez de Tagle, who 
desired here to found a college in which Indian girls 
whose beauty would expose them to temptations and 
dangers in the world might be educated and at the same 
time kej)t in safety. The building was not completed, 
and the philanthropic project never was realized. But 
the name of Colegio de las Bonitas (the college of the 
pretty girls) usually shortened into Las Bonitas, always 
has clung to the edifice, and so it is generally styled to- 
day. After being used for various purposes, the build- 
ing was set apart for the Sisters of Charity. The found- 
ing of this beneficent order in Mexico was due to the 
patronage of Dona Maria Ana Gomez de la Cortina, who 
provided for the costs of bringing members of the order 
from Spain, and very liberally endowed the Mexican es- 
tablishment. Twelve members of the order, from Mad- 
rid, arrived in the city November 15, 1844 ; and to these 
Dona Maria joined herself, taking the habit of the order 
and giving herself with them to good works. She died 
January G, 1846, and was buried in one of the courts of 
the house which she had established — in which forlorn 
and dismantled place her handsome tomb may still be 
seen. By her will she bequeathed to the order the sum 
of $141,000, winch was punctually paid by her executors 



176 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

within a montli of lier death. The church, La Caridad, 
still open, was built with a portion of this fund ; it is a 
small but elegant building, with excellent interior decora- 
tions in white and gold. It was dedicated — General 
Santa Ana serving as padrino (god-father) — May 8, 1854. 

The Sisters of Charity, during their stay in Mexico, 
had charge of the principal hospitals of the capital, 
and of many hospitals also in the other cities of the Ee- 
public ; and everywhere performed most effectively their 
good work. So highly were their services esteemed 
that they were by name expressly exempted from the 
operation of the Laws of the Reform. However, when 
the Laws of the Reform became incorporated into the 
Federal Constitution (by the act of December 14, 1874) 
the order of Sisters of Charity also was suppressed. This 
act was most violently denounced by the Conservative 
party, and was not by any means general^ approved by 
the Liberals. But in spite of the very active opposition 
that it encountered, it was made effective. During Jan- 
uary and February, 1875, the Sisters left the country : 
thus formally bringing to an end the existence of re- 
hgious orders in the Republic. 

Independent Churches. In addition to the cathe- 
dral and parochial estabhshment, and the foundations of 
the several religious orders, there are a few churches in 
Mexico which occupy an independent position in that 
they are the foundations of individuals or of societies. 
The more important of these are the following : 

Jesus Nazareno (V. 109). Under the name of Nues- 
tra Seiiora de la Purisima Concepcion this church (with 
its hospital of the same name, see Hospital de Jesus 
Nazareno) was founded by the Conqueror Hernando 
Cortes before the year 1524 ; as is proved by a reference 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 177 

to it in the municipal accounts of that year. After the 
death of Cortes (by whom an ample endowment was 
made for both hospital and church) his administrators 
contracted (November 26, 1601) for the completion, at a 
cost of $43,000, of the new church, begun in 1575 and 
then in course of erection. This work was not com- 
pleted at that time, and for nearly a century the church 
remained with its walls built only to the height of the 
cornice, and with only a portion of it under roof. Even 
this roof was defective, being of clay, in which trees 
grew and thrust out the lower walls. In the meantime 
service continued to be held in the primitive church. 
Such was the condition of affairs in the year 1663 when, 
a pious Indian woman dying to whom it had belonged, 
there came into the possession of the church and hos- 
pital a celebrated image of Jesus Nazareno. The imme- 
diate result of owning the image was a great increase of 
revenue from alms. At this fortunate time the chaplain 
of the hospital (named to that position May 22, 1662) 
was Don Antonio de Calderon Benavides, by whose 
energy the rapidly accumulating wealth was used for the 
completion of the church in a manner at once substan- 
tial and elegant. Finally, this church, begun in 1575, 
was dedicated with much solemn rejoicing in the year 
1665 ; then receiving officially the name of Jesus Naza- 
reno, by which it long had been known. Its exterior 
remains practically unchanged. The interior was ma- 
terially modified in 1835, when all the woodwork was 
renewed. The church contains a very large tabernacle, 
the four pillars of which sustain an entablature that sup- 
ports a statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Concep- 
tion. In the transepts are two altars, one dedicated to 
Nuestra Senora del Rosario and the other to Jesus Naz- 
13 



178 MK\T(\\N^ (HilDK. 

iivouo — upon which hxiiov iho fjiinoua ininpfo stands. In 
tlio chnrolx aro ilio tombs of iho philoloj^ist Fr. Juan 
Criaosti^mo NajtM'.-i ; llu> hislcM'inu Don Lucas Alauiau ; 
tlio sculptor l>ou jManuol \'ilar, juul Colonel IMauuclOal- 
iltM'on. Tho sacristy is notable for its ^vooden roof beau- 
tifully oai'ved ; a very elegant structure, and tho last re- 
maining' of the several >vhich onco wore found in tho city. 
In the sacristy reverently is preserved — in ft niche of 
iho altar of Nuestra Senor do la CadtMia. -iho image of 
Nuostra 8enora de la l^ala : Our Tjadv of the ]>a,ll. Tho 
legend connected with {his small, vcmt c^ld, and greatly 
venerated imago is this : In ancient times it \vas tho prop- 
erty of a good poor man of the village of Ixtapalapan, 
Avho had made a shrine for it in his house. This poor 
n\an charged his Avife with inlidelity and threatened to 
shoot hor. She throw herself before tho imago, imploring 
the Virgin's protection — and this was granted, for when 
her husband lirod tho imago intercepted tho ball ! So 
miraculous an intervention satistied iho jH'Jor good man 
that his suspicions had been groundless, and he restored 
Ills W'ifo to luu- rightful place in his hetu't, and together 
tliey worshipped the imago reverently. The fame of 
what the imago had done was noised abroad, and pres- 
ently it was placed in tho church of La Pun'sima ; where 
it was greatly venerated. In response to the prayer of 
Dr. IVdri^ l.opi^' it was given him, later, tliat he might 
place it in his nc^wly founded churcli of San LAzsii'o ; 
wluMi\ performing many miracles, it remained for up- 
ward of two centuries. Finally it was placed in its 
in*es(M^t jHisition. by order of Archbishop Labastida y 
Pavalos, iMarch 'J, 1S84. There aro many married 
women of the capit:il who hold this miraculous imago in 
very high esteem. 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 179 

The most interesting relic in this church, preserved 
in the chancel, is the sarcophagus that once contained 
the bones of Cortes. By his will, Cortes ordered that 
should he die in Spain his bones should be brought in 
ten years time to Mexico and deposited in the convent 
of the Concepcion that he purposed building at Coyoa- 
can — but which, in point of fact, never was established. 
He died December 2, 1547, in the town of Castilleja de 
la Questa ; whence his body was carried in great state 
and buried in the chapel of the Dukes of Medina Sidonia. 
At the time that he had fixed for their removal thither 
his bones were brought to New Spain, and at first were 
deposited in the church of San Francisco at Texcoco. 
Here they remained until 1G29. On the 30th of Janu- 
ary of that year died his grandson, Don Pedro Cortes, 
the last of the male line. It was then decided that Don 
Pedro should be buried in the church of San Francisco 
in the City of Mexico, and with him the bones of his 
grandfather. All of which, with much pomp and cere- 
mony, was done upon the 21tli of February following. 
On the 2d of July, 1794, the bones of the Conqueror 
again were moved, this time to the marble sepulchre 
that had been prepared for their reception in Jesus Naz- 
areno, the church that he himself had founded. But in 
the troublous j'ears of the revolt against Spain it was 
feared that his tomb would be violated — so great at that 
time was the popular hatred of the Spaniards and of all 
things Spanish — and that the remains of the Conqueror 
might be preserved in safety they were removed from 
the sepulchre on the night of September 15, 1823, and 
hidden in another part of the church. Thence they were 
secretly removed by Don Lucas Alaman, the agent in 
Mexico of the Duke of Monteleone (heir to the estates of 



180 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Cortes), and were sent to Italy — where at last, in the 
vaults of the Dukes of Monteleone, they were at rest. 

Nuestra SePiora de Los Angeles (C. 44). Concern- 
iuo" the foundino- of the church of the Santuario de Nu- 
estra Seiiora de los Angeles, tradition tells that a cacique 
(chief) named Isayoque found floating upon the water, 
during the inundation of 1580, a beautiful picture, 
painted upon canvas, of the Virgin. Very much de- 
lighted with his good fortune, and desiring to do the 
Virgin honor, he built to contain the picture a little 
chapei of adobe on the exact spot beneath where 
he had found it floating upon the waters — that is to 
say, precisely where the sanctuary now stands. For 
some reason, however, the cacique decided not to keep 
the original picture in the chapel that he had built 
for it, but to have it copied very exactly by a skill- 
ful painter upon the adobe w^all. This, therefore, was 
done ; and in the year 1595 a larger and handsomer 
chapel, though still a ver}^ small one (precisely the size 
of the chancel of the existing church) was built over the 
adobe wall on which the picture was painted. The new 
chapel was dedicated under the name of the Assumption 
(although, in point of fact, the picture represents the Im- 
maculate Conception) ; but, as there were many angels 
upon the picture, the chapel came in a little time to be 
known by the name of Our Lady of the Angels — which 
name remains and is recognized as that of the existing 
church. Not a shrine in Mexico has seen so many re- 
verses of fortune as have attended this one. It has been 
time and ao-ain abandoned and suffered to fall into ruin ; 
and once (1607), being then roofless, it passed through 
the inundation and precedent great rains by which the 
city was submerged. But through all its exposure to 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS. 181 

sun and water and falling walls the hands and face of the 
picture (though painted upon sun-dried clay) remained 
unharmed — a preservation that came in time to be rec- 
ognized as a cumulative miracle. At one time and an- 
other various pious persons repaired the chapel, and at 
last, in the person of Sefior Larragoitis, a patron was 
found by whom the present church was erected. The 
project of this patron was to erect a very large and hand- 
some church of nave and aisles surmounted by a dome ; 
but upon the report by the architect that the ground 
was too swampy to permit of the erection of such a build- 
ing, the plan of the existing church was adopted. This 
was completed in the year 1808. It is a quaint structure, 
having the appearance of being much older than it really 
is. The miraculous painting (at least the hands and face, 
which only are visible) continues in excellent condition. 
The other portions of the picture are hidden behind a 
dress made for it by a most pious tailor, Joso de Haro, 
in the year 177G ; in which year he also rebuilt the 
chapel — then in one of its periodic conditions of ruin. 
As the picture, besides being thus draped, is inclosed in 
a glazed shrine, very little is to be learned by looking at 
it of the substance upon which it is painted. In the 
church is preserved a most dashing (but somewhat ruin- 
ous) life-size equestrian effigy of Santiago — brought 
hither from Santiago Tlaltelolco when that church was 
taken possession of by the government. There is also 
preserved here a stone, upon which is engraved the date 
1595, that is said to have been a part of the second of 
the several chapels built for the housing of the picture. 

La Santfsima Trinidad (O. 37). About the year 
1658 there was founded, close to the site of the present 
church, a beaterio — a little house wherein holy women 



182 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

dwelt, vowed to good works but not to the rule of any 
especial religious order — dedicated to La Santisima 
Trinidad ; and here were housed (1570-79) while wait- 
ing for the building of their own convent, the founders 
in Mexico of the order of Santa Clara (which see). Ad- 
jacent to the heaterio there w^ere granted (January 9, 
1596) to Francisco de Olmos and Juan del Castillo, al- 
caldes of the tailors of the City of Mexico, two lots of 
land ; upon which they agreed to establish a hospital 
for the poor, and a chapel, dedicated to the physician- 
saints Cosine, Damian, and Amado — which pious work 
"was begun precisely fourteen days after the grant was 
made. Later, there was founded, in connection with 
these religious establishments, a society known as the 
Congregacion de los Trinitarios (Trinitarians). Upon 
these several foundations the present church (always 
spoken of as La Santisima) was reared. The second 
church of the foundation was dedicated September 19, 
1677, and the existing church, begun in 1755, was dedi- 
cated January 17, 1783. The building is notable for its 
exceedingly rich f ayade in the churrigueresque style, and 
for its fine towers. The interior is not especially inter- 
esting, having been made over in relatively modern 
style. 

Salto del Agua (T. 12). The license to collect alms 
for the building of the present church — upon a site once 
occupied by one of Fray Pedro de Gante's Indian mis- 
sion chapels — was given to Sr. Dr. Don Francisco Na- 
varijo January 7, 1729. But the alms came in slowly, 
and the corner-stone was not laid until March 19, 1750. 
In 1761 the church was made adjunct to the parish church 
of Santa Vera Cruz ; and became itself a parish church in 
1772, when the existing parochial division of the city was 



SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 183 

made by Archbishop Lorenzana. Its name is derived 
from its i^roximity to the fountain at the termination of 
the aqueduct from Chapultepec. The parish in which 
this church is situated, and of which it was the head, 
continues to be known by the name of the Salto del 
Agua ; the administration of the parish, however, has 
been removed recently to the old conventual chui'ch of 
Hegina Coeli (which see). 



VI. SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 

In the municipality of Mexico there are 89 primary 
schools, directed by 153 teachers, attended by about 
4,700 scholars, and supported by the Ayuntamiento at 
an annual charge of $127,000 ; also, within the munici- 
pal limits the Federal government sustains nine primary 
schools for children, two primary schools for, respec- 
tivel}', male and female adults, and one graded school 
for girls, the total attendance at which is 2,700 ; also, 
within the municipal limits there are 24 primary schools, 
attended by 4,049 pupils, sustained by the Catholic So- 
ciety and other societies of the same faith ; 37, attended 
by 1,340 pupils, sustained by the Evangelical Church, 
the Lancastrian Society and the Beneficial Society. All 
the foregoing schools are free. Of private, paid, schools 
within the municipal limits there are 128, attended by 
2,900 pupils. Including the secondary and higher 
schools, and colleges, the total number of educational in- 
stitutions within the municipality is 288, with a total at- 
tendance of 15,754. Detailed information in regard to 
the schools and school system of the city and of the 
country at large may be obtained, by any properly pre- 



184 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

sented person, at the Ministry of Justice and Public In- 
struction. (See Government Officials, Presentation to.) 

Man}'' of the buildings noAv occupied by schools and 
colleges possess such historical or architectural interest, 
or contain such works of art, as make them very well 
deserving the attention of the traveller. Mainly from 
this standpoint of secondary interest, therefore, the fol- 
lowing named institutions are treated of. 

Conservatorio de MCisica (Ex-University, M. 104). 
The University of Mexico was erected by a royal ordei? * 
of the Emperor Charles V. of September 25, 1551, being 
then granted the statutes, privileges, and prerogatives 
of the University of Salamanca. The institution was 
opened {vide Vetancurt) January 25, 1553, in houses 
adapted to its needs at the corner of the Calles Arzobis- 
pado and Beloj ; thence it was removed to houses the 
property of the Hospital de Jesus Nazareno ; and thence, 
finally, to the site occupied by the present building. 
The establishment of the University upon this site wad 
attended with much difficulty. The land was a por-* 
tion of the estate of Cortes, and the agent of the Mar- 
ques resisted the decree of the Audencia (June 1, 1584) 
permitting its purchase by the Kector of the University. 
After litigation, the right of the Rector was recognized, 
and the building was erected about 1590. The existing 
building was erected during the reign of Charles III. — ■ 
that is, previous to the year 1787. The career of the in- 
stitution was a stormy one ; frequently it was in collis- 
ion with the government, and several times it was sup- 
pressed. Its final suppression was in the year 1865, 
when this building became for a time the office of the 
Ministry of Public Works. In 1877 the Conservatory of 
Music was established here. The interior is notable for 



II 



SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 185 

the bcauiiful cloisters Rurroundinj^ the central court — 
now converted into a garden ; for the fine and artistically 
decorated concert hall ; for the handsome stairway ; and 
for the paintinj^ l>y Vallojo that is one of the three with 
which the stairway is adorned. Vallejo's work is a votive 
jncture ordered in commemoration of the promise made 
by Clement XIV. to Charles III. to insert in the Litany 
of the Virj^dn the invocation Maler immaculala. The 
lower plane of the picture shows a large edifice, in the 
midst of which are seen, kneeling, the Pope, Clement 
XIV., King Charles III., the Arch]>ishop Lorenzana, the 
Viceroy Bucareli and, standing. Duns Scotus and groux)s 
of students ; in the upper plane, relieved against bril- 
liant masses of clouds, arc seen the Virgin with the 
Four Doctors, Saint Paul and Saint Catharine (patron 
saints of the University), together with Saints Thomas, 
John of Nepomuck and Luis Gonzaga (patrons of study). 
The composition of the work has excellent quality, and 
upon it and the pictures in the church of San Yldofonso 
the reputation of Vallejo mainly rests. The Conserva- 
tory has a library and collection of music and is doing 
admirable work in maintaining the musical standard of 
the capital. 

La Mineria (School of Engineers, K. 97). The Tri- 
bunal de Mineria was founded. May 4, 1777, by Don 
Velazquez de Leon and Don LCicas de Lasaga, having for 
its purpose the stimulation of mining enterprise, the con- 
rection of existing abuses, the formulation of an improved 
code of mining laws, and the foundation of a school of 
mines. Tlie laws requfisted by the founders, together 
with permission to create the school, were granted in a 
royal order dated May 22, 1783. Pending the erection 
of a suitable building, the school was opened, January 



186 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

1, 1792, in a house adjoining the Hospicio de San Nico- 
las. The ground upon which the existing building 
stands was purchased March 14, 1793, and, after a con- 
siderable delay, during which other suggestions for hous- 
ing the school were under consideration, the plans for 
the building were presented by Don Manuel Tolsa, March 
16, 1797. These, after modification, being accepted, 
work began on the 22d of March ensuing, and the build- 
ing was completed, April 3, 1813, at a cost of $1,597,435. 
Scarcely was it finished, however, when the walls began 
to settle ; and this continued until they were dangerously 
out of line and in many places cracked. So considerable 
was the injury to the structure, and so costly were the 
plans suggested for restoring it, that at one time the in- 
tention seriously was entertained of demolishing it. For- 
tunately, at this juncture, the skilful architect Don An- 
tonio Villard presented a plan of restoration that was aj)- 
plied successfully (at a cost of $97,000), in the year 1830 
— the school being housed, while the repairs were in prog- 
ress, in the present Hotel Yturbide. The curving lines 
of the cornices of the east side show how far the settling 
had gone before it could be staid. This building is con- 
sidered by all Mexicans, and with justice, one of the most 
imposing both in size and architectural treatment of the 
capital. It has fine courts, galleries, and stair waj^s, and 
one hall of magnificent proportions. The decoration 
throughout, save in the chapel, is simple and in excellent 
taste. The chapel is decorated richly, containing a very 
elegant altar of bronze, and upon its walls and flat roof 
frescoes by the Mexican artist Jimeno. The school pos- 
sesses a serviceable library, an astronomical and meteoro- 
logical observatory, fine cabinets of geology and miner- 
alogy, and a museum of mechanical apparatus of con- 



SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 187 

siderable value. It was in this building, during Lis visit 
to Mexico in 1880, that General Grant was lodged. 
- Escuela de Medicina (Medical College, L. 98). By 
aro^^al decree of March IG, 17G8, there was ordered to be 
established in the Hospital Real (which see) a course of 
practical anatomy, under the direction of Don Andres 
Mantani y Virgili. To this, by a decree of May 20, ensuing, 
was added a course in operative surgery. The classes 
formed under these decrees began February 3, 1770 ; 
after which date degrees in medicine were granted by 
the Universities of Mexico and Guadalajara. A decree 
of November 21, 1830, extinguished this primitive medi- 
cal establishment and created the Medical Faculty of the 
District ; and this in turn was amended by the decree of 
October 23, 1833, that created the Institute of the Medical 
Sciences — virtually the existing Medical College. To 
the Institute quarters were assigned in the ex-monas- 
tery of the Betlemitas ; and by the ordinance of January 
24, 1842, it received its present name of Escuela de 
Medicina. From the Betlemitas the college was re- 
moved to the ex-monastery of San Hipolito in September, 
1850, and finally, by purchase (at a cost of $50,000), ac- 
quired its present building (formerly occupied by the 
Inquisition, which see) in 1854. The college has a fine 
amphitheatre, a committee room in which is a notable 
statue, by the sculptor Soriano, of St. Luke the Physician, 
cabinets of chemistry and natural science, and a library. 
Escuela Preparatoria (Preparatory School, M. 96). 
This institution, the function of which is to prepare ad- 
vanced pupils from the lower schools for the several pro- 
fessional careers, is the lineal descendant of an ancient 
Jesuit foundation ; and still is known popularly by its 
ancient name of the College of San Yldefonso. In the year 



188 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

1582 the Jesuits in Mexico were commanded by the Gen- 
eral of their order to consolidate into one institution their 
several then existing seminaries. Some difficulties in the 
way of the execution of this order were overcome, and by 
license of the Viceroy (July 29, 1588) the colleges of San 
Gregorio, San Miguel, and San Bernardo were extin- 
guished and the College of San Yldefonso was founded 
in their place ; in which, January 17, 1618, the College 
of San Pedro y San Pablo also was merged. The pres- 
ent building was completed in 1719, at a cost of $400,000. 
During the several periods in which the Jesuits were ban- 
ished from the country the College building was used for 
vai'ious purposes, and was revived as a school upon their 
several returns. Since the final expulsion of the order 
the college has been administered by the government ; 
as it was also during the long period of Jesuit banish- 
ment between 1821 and 1853. The college building is 
of a severe style of architecture, massive in construction, 
and very large. Especially to be noted are its fine courts 
suiTounded by arcades ; its handsome halls ; its cabinets 
of physics, chemistry, and natural history ; its palseonto- 
logical museum, and its well-selected library. Two of 
the most important works by the painter Vallejo are in 
the sacristy of its chapel, *' The Feast of Pentecost" and 
*'The Holy Family." 

Other Important Schools. Escuela de AgricuUura 
(School of Agriculture, on the road to Tacuba). This 
institution, after many ineffectual attempts at its founda- 
tion (the first of which was made in the year 1833), 
finally was founded in the year 1854. It is now estab- 
lished outside the Garita of San Cosme in the hacienda of 
San Jacinto. It possesses a library adapted to its needs, 
cabinets of physics and chemistry, a garden of acclimat- 



SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 189 

ization, and large grounds for practical agricultural train- 
ing. 

Escuela de Comercio y Administration (Commercial 
College, Iv. 101), is established in the building formerly 
occupied by the Hospital del Tercer Orden, adjacent to 
that of the Mineria. It is provided with a library and 
collections of samples for practical study. 

Escuela de Jarisprudencia (Law School, L. 30) has ap- 
propriated to it a portion of the beautiful convent of the 
Encarnacion. The school possesses a good library and 
is well attended. 

Seminario Conciliar de 3Iexico (Catholic Theological 
Seminary, V. 99), was founded in the present Calle de 
Seminario in the year 1691. It is now established in 
the ex-monastery of San Camilo. 

La Sociedad Lancasteriana (Lancasterian Society). The 
monitorial system of Bell and Lancaster, by means of 
which it was considered that primary instruction could 
be much extended at little expense by setting the older 
children, as monitors, to teach the rudiments to the 
younger, was first practised in England in 1797. Under 
the patronage of the above-named society the sj^stem has 
been in use in Mexico for a number of years with excel- 
lent results. The first school was opened in the ex-In- 
quisition building in 1822. The Society supports, in 
addition to its day schools for children, night schools for 
men. The fund of maintenance is derived from con- 
tributions of members, and from a small subvention 
granted by the municipality. 

La Beneficencia (the Benevolent Society). The schools 
of this society were founded in the year 1842, by the 
philanthropist VidalAlcocer — a working-man whose sole 
fortune was a salary of $30 a month. So zealously did 



190 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

this excellent man apply himself to the realization of his 
philanthrojDic project that in a short time a stable and 
affluent society was founded for its support. A number 
of well-managed schools are maintained. 

La Sociedad Catolica. This organization was founded 
in the year 1869. It supports about twenty free schools 
and is prosecuting actively its educational work. 



VIl. CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 

It is most creditable to the municipal governments of 
the Republic that under all circumstances the schools and 
hospitals necessary for the public good have been in some 
sort maintained, and that the charitable institutions gen- 
erally have been cared for. (The Federal Government 
has not so good a record.) As a result of this admirable 
policy, very many of the ancient beneficent foundations 
of the City of Mexico — of the church and of pious indi- 
viduals — still survive ; while new foundations have been 
added as occasion has required. 

Hospital de Jesus Nazareno (V. 109). Under the 
name of Nuestra Seiiora de la Purisima Concepcion, this 
hospital, with its church of the same name (see church 
of Jesus Nazareno), was founded by the Conqueror Her- 
nando Cortes, before the year 1594 ; as is proved by a 
reference to it in the municipal accounts of that year. 
For the maintenance of the hospital Cortes left an ample 
endowment, but this was so badly administered that the 
ill-treatment of the sick in the hospital became a by-word 
in the city — thus impelling the philanthropist Bernardo 
Alvarez to establish the hospital that subsequently was 
known as San Hipolito. In later times, however, this 



CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 191 

reproacli has been removed. The hospital has been 
much improved and enlarged in the course of the past 
three hundred years, but remains a most quaint and cu- 
rious building. It is maintained by the endowment be- 
queathed by the Conqueror — all attempts by governments 
and individuals to break his will having failed. (So re- 
cently as the spring of 1885 the will once more was sus- 
tained by the Mexican courts.) 

Hospital Real (extinct, T. 69). A royal order, given 
in Madrid May 18, 1553, decreed that there should be 
established in the City of Mexico a hospital for the care 
of poor sick Indians. For this purpose a grant of 
$20,000 was made from the royal rents, against which was 
made also a charge of $400 a year in perpetuity for the 
hospital's support. That the building with its church was 
nearly completed by November 6, 1556, may be inferred 
from an existing royal order of this date granting $2,000 
more with which to finish it. For the purposes of the 
charity a large tract of land was set apart, bounded on 
the west and north by a wide water-channel (a part of 
the ancient system of canals) that now has been filled in 
and forms the street of Santisimo and part of the street 
of the Kebeldes. The annual allowance of $400 a year 
being insufficient for the maintenance of the hospital, 
successive Viceroys imposed tribute for its support upon 
the Indians themselves. At one time the tribute exacted 
was a measure of corn ; and later this was made a medio 
— six and a quarter cents. But even thus aided the Hipo- 
iitos, in whose charge the hospital was placed, had to re- 
sort to urgent begging and to many curious expedients 
in order to discharge properly their trust. Among their 
expedients was the founding of a theatre, from per- 
formances given at which the hospital derived a very 



192 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

considerable part of its support. (See Teatro Principal.) 
This extraordinary departure created much scandal, but 
the Hipolitos contended that while the means might be 
open to criticism the end was above reproach ; and so 
placidly continued during the ensuing half century upon 
their theatrical way. By a royal order of December 31, 
1741, the Hipolitos (possibly because of their irregular 
method of raising revenue) were removed from the hos- 
pital, and its direction was assumed by the Viceroyal 
government. In this hospital was organized the second 
medical college in America, a royal order of March 16, 
1768, providing for the establishment here of courses in 
practical anatomy and surgery ; which courses began 
February 3, 1770 * (See Escuela de Medicina.) From 
lack of a sufficient income, and from inefficient manage- 
ment, the hospital gradually deteriorated ; and finally, its 
usefulness having departed, it was closed February 21, 
1822. All that now remains of the establishment — the 
hospital having been replaced by dwellings — is the little 
church that once belonged to it, and that now is occu- 
pied by the Presbyterian mission. 

Hospital de San Hip6lito (I. 114). The pious Ber- 
nardino Alvarez, a native of Andalusia, sometime a pros- 
perous merchant in Peru and in the Province of New 
Spain, becoming tired of a wandering life, dedicated him- 
self to the care of the sick. For ten years he served as a 
nurse in the hospital of the Concepcion (now Jesus Naz- 
areno), and then, being pained by the ill-conduct of that 
charity, the desire came into his heart to found a hospi- 
tal of his own. Therefore he asked for certain vacant 
lands adjacent to the then chapel of San Hipolito ; and 

* The Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania 
was founded in the year 1764 ; of Harvard, 1783. 



CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 193 

these were given to liim, January 28, 1567, with permis- 
sion to found thereon a hospital that also should be ded- 
icated to San Hipolito. With his own property, and with 
alms that were given him for this purpose, he built there a 
little hospital, into which he gathered the crazed and the 
sick and the old ; and these he nursed and feasted {regal- 
aba) ! He even went to Vera Cruz and brought thence 
sick and crazed persons for his hospital, together with 
vagrant emigrants from Spain who had no means of sup- 
port. In time various pious persons joined themselves 
to him in aiding to carry on this charitable work, so that 
it came into his heart to found a brotherhood that should 
have for its purpose the care of the sick. To this end 
he formulated in 1569 a constitution for the brotherhood, 
that was approved by the Archbishop of Mexico and sent 
by him for ratification in Rome. The project was ac- 
cepted by Gregory XIII., but formal approval of it was not 
given until May 1, 1585, by Sixtus V. It was approved 
by the Council of the Indies January 11, 1589. A defect 
in this first organization, which became apparent very 
soon after the death of the zealous founder, was that the 
brothers were in no wise bound to their charitable work ; 
which looseness produced not a little inconvenience to 
the sick, who frequently found themselves deserted by 
their nurses and left to shift for themselves. To remedy 
this defect, the bull of Clement VHI., of October 8, 1604, 
ordered that the Brothers of Charity should take the vows 
of hospitality and obedience, and should be subject to 
the senior brother of the order : after which the sick 
people in the hospital found things much more comfort- 
able. The brotherhood became a regular monastic order 
(notable as a purely Mexican foundation) by the opera- 
tion of the bull of Innocent XH. of May 20, 1700. The 
13 



194 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

bull increased the vows to be taken to four — cliastitv, 
povert}'', hospitality, and obedience ; gave to the order the 
rule of the Augustinians, with the privileges of the 
mendicant orders, and gave also certain very desirable 
religious pri^dleges. From this time onward the Brothers 
of Charity in Mexico Tvere known as Hipolitos. Shortly 
after the formal establishment of the order it was decid- 
ed to use the primitive hospital foundation exclusively for 
the care of insane males ; and for this purpose exclusively 
it has ever since been used. The existing building was 
erected in the year 1773, during the beneficent rule of the 
Viceroy Bucareli. By a decree of the Spanish Cortes of 
October 1, 1820, the order of Hipolitos was suppressed 
and its property sequestrated. The ex-members of the 
order having this hospital in charge, however, remained to 
care for it ; the last survivor dying in 1843. The liquida- 
tion of the property created a fund of upward of $187,000 
that passed into the control of the municipality, and the 
income of which was administered honorably in the 
maintenance of the hospital. By a decree of February 
10, 1812, Santa Ana covered this fund into the Federal 
Treasury — and that immediately was the end of it. The 
municipality thereupon assumed and has since continued 
the charge of maintenance, In 1848 the interior of the 
hospital was remodelled and much imjDroved. 

The large monastery of San Hipohto was converted 
into barracks upon the suppression of the order ; was 
used as a military hospital during a stray revolution ; as 
a municipal hospital in 1847-48 ; as quarters for the 
Medical College in 1850-53, and since that date for less 
important uses. (See Church of San Hipolito.) 

Hospital Morelos (San Juan de Dios, I. 72). In 
the place where the Hospital Morelos (still commonly 



CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 195 

known by its ancient name of Hospital de San Juan de 
Dios) now stands, there was, in the year 1582, a little 
hospital for the care of the mixed races, mulattoes and 
mestizos. This charity, known as the Hospital de la 
Epifania, was founded by the j)hilanthropist Dr. Pedro 
Lojoez, founder also of the Hospital de San Lazaro, one 
of the first professors of medicine who came to Mexico 
from Spain. In addition to the hospital there was es- 
tablished here by Dr. Lopez a foundling asylum, under 
the protection of Nuestra Seiiora de los Desamparados 
(Our Lady of the Forsaken) ; and by this name both 
asylum and hospital were known during the ensuing 
twenty years. In the year 1G04 there arrived in Mexico 
five brothers of the order of San Juan de Dios — the emi- 
nent order of hospitallers whose knowledge and practice of 
sanitary science as applied to hospital treatment was very 
nearly abreast of the highest authorities of our own da3% 
(It was by this order that the, for the times, enormous 
advance was made of providing a bed for the sole occu- 
pancy of each sick person.) These brothers brought 
with them a royal order commanding the Viceroy to give 
into their charge the Hospital del Espiritu Santu ; but as 
this hospital was in charge of the Hipolitos the Viceroy 
accommodated the royal order to the existing situation 
by placing them in charge (February 25, 1601) of the 
Hospital de los Desamparados — which thereafter was 
known by the name of their order and became once more 
a hospital only. Their arrival was oppoi-tune for the good 
maintenance of the charity, as the excellent Dr. Lopez 
had died in the j'ear 159G. Under their admirable man- 
agement the hospital was materially improved and the 
church, some years later, rebuilt in its present handsome 
form (see Church of San Juan de Dios) ; and during the 



196 MEXICAIT GUIDE. 

two hunclred and sixteen years that the hospital was in 
their charge they adniinisterod its {liYairs in the most ex- 
eniplary manner. Li accordiuice with the tendency of 
the Spanish government to suppress worthy and useful 
religious orders while permittiug unworthy and useless 
orders to survive, the order of Juaninos was suppressed 
by a decree of the Cortes of October 1, 1820. Shortly 
after this decree was executed in Mexico the hospital was 
closed. By the exertions of private individuals, however — 
notably by the exertions of Sr. Don Gaspar Cevallos — 
the hospital was reopened March 8, 1845. It is now 
known officially as the Hospital Morelos, but commonly 
is called by its ancient name. 

Hospital del DIvino Salvador (K. 115). In the lat- 
ter part of the seventeenth century there was in the city 
of Mexico a pious cai'penter named Jose Sayago, whose 
heart was troubled because there were found wandering 
in the streets of the city many crazed women of whom 
no one took thought or care. Therefore, aided by his 
pious wife, he gathered together into his own small 
house such of these as he could give place to ; and at his 
own charo'e cared for them. In coui-se of time the fame 
of this most excellent charity came to the eai'S of the 
Archbishop, and he, Don Francisco de Aguiar y Seijas, 
enlarged and strengthened it by giving to Sayago, rent 
free, a larger house, and by contributing from his purse 
to the support of the crazed. In the year lti98, the 
x\j'chbishop dying, and Jose Sayago being dead also, the 
Jesuit congregation of the Dinne Sa'S'iour assumed the 
charge of the hospital. By them the present site was 
purchased, in the Calle de la Canoa, and here a new and 
lai-ge hospital was opened in the yeai* 1700. Ui^on the 
suppression of the Jesuits, in 1767, the control of the 



CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 197 

hospital passed to the government ; when the building 
was greatly iruproved and enlarged, at a cost of $50,000. 
At this time, also, an improved system of treatment was 
introduced, under which many of the crazed women were 
restored to reason. Through all the changes of govern- 
ment in Mexico this excellent charity has been con- 
tinued. In the year 18G1 its usefulness was impaired 
temporarily by the diversion of its revenues by the gov- 
ernment of Juarez. In 1803 its revenues were restored. 

Hospital de San Andres (K. 110). The existing 
hospital was established (in a building previously occu- 
pied by the Jesuits as a novitiate and known as the Col- 
legio de San Andres, because of the patronage in 1070, 
of Captain Don Andres de Tapia Carbajal) as a pest- 
house during a plague of small-pox in the year 1779. Its 
founder was the Archbishop Nufiez de Haro y Peralta; 
and l)y certain concessions made by this ecclesiastic to 
the Ayuntamiento, when the plague was ended the foun- 
dation remained in his charge and was continued as a gen- 
eral hospital. By the Laws of the lieform the property 
passed to the government, and with it the very large 
outside estate that the hospital had acquired. Since 
this time it has been continued at the charges of the 
municipality. It includes a department for the free 
treatment of diseases of the eye. 

Hospital Municipal Juarez (San Pablo, X. 112). 
In August, 1575, the Augustinians having taken posses- 
sion of the site now occupied by this building, Vjuilt here 
the College of San Pablo (see Church of San Pablo) ; and 
in 1581 built a chapel within their college upon the site 
previously occupied by the parish chapel. Although 
this was an important institution for more than two cen- 
turies it fell gradually into decay ; bo that in the early 



198 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

part of the present century a portion of its vacant build- 
ings was bought or leased by the government and was 
used as barracks. About the year 1847 urgent need for 
a municipal hospital arose — through default of payment 
by the Ayuntamiento of a debt of $80,000 due for the 
care of the city's sick to the Hospital de San Andres, 
and the consequent refusal of the custodians of that 
hospital to receive any more patients for whose charges 
the city was responsible. To meet this need, therefore, 
the barracks in San Pablo were fitted up provisionally 
for hospital purposes. The first patients received here 
were the wounded from the battle of Padierna — the en- 
counter with the American forces near San Angel of 
August 19, 1847. During the war the hospital was 
used by the military authorities ; but after the evacua- 
tion of the city by the Americans the project of organiz- 
ing here a municipal hospital was completed. The 
establishment of this institution was due mainly to the 
exertions of Dr. Jose XJrbano Fonseca. Later, additional 
portions of the ancient college property were purchased 
from the Augustinians ; and upon the sequestration of 
the property, in 1861, the whole of it was converted to 
hospital purposes. The Municipal Hospital of San Hipo- 
lito (used as such from some time in 1847) was merged 
in it October 7, 1850 ; and August 12, 1862, the hospital 
of San Lazaro was merged in it. The official name of 
this institution now is the Hospital Municipal Juarez, 
but it is better known by its ancient name of San Pablo. 
Casa de Maternidad (I 108). By an Imperial decree 
of April 10, 1865, there was erected a Council of Public 
Charities (Consejo General de Beneficencia) composed of 
ten persons, under the presidency of the Empress Car- 
lotta. By order of this council, and at the immediate 



CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 199 

and urgent suggestion of the Empress, the Casa de 
Maternidad (Lying-in Hospital) was estabHshed. It was 
founded by a decree of June 7, 18G5, and so actively 
was the work pushed that on June 7, 18G6, it was for- 
mally opened. The hospital was built and furnished at a 
cost of $14,000, its appointments being in every way in 
conformity with the best French models. So great was 
the interest taken in this institution by the unfortunate 
Empress that after her return to Europe she sent for use 
in it a very perfect set of surgical instruments ; and, 
later, $6,000 in money for its support. The good work 
of the charity continues uninterruptedly. 

Other Hospitals. In addition to the foregoing, there 
are several other hospitals in the city : the large military 
hospital of San Lucas, and the excellent private hospitals 
(Saint Louis and Casa de Salud) belonging, respectively, 
to the French and Spanish Benevolent Societies. It is 
tearnestly desired that a private hospital for the care of 
Americans may be established in Mexico. Contributions 
to the American hospital fund may be left with the 
American IMinister, with the Kev. John W. Butler, Calle 
de Gante, No. 5, or at the offices of The Two Republics 
and Mexican Financier. 

La Cuna (Foundling Asylum, O. 107). La Casa de 
Sr. San Jose de Niiios expositos (known as la cuna — 
literally, the cradle) owes its origin to the learned and 
excellent Archbishop Lorenzana. It was founded Jan- 
uary 11, 1766, upon its present site, Puente de la Merced, 
No. 3, the building being purchased by the Archbishop 
and the charity sustained from his private purse until his 
return to Spain in the year 1771 ; while from Spain he 
sent for its support very considerable sums. The same 
interest was manifested in the charity by the succeeding 



200 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Arclibisliop, Don Nuiiez Haro y Peralta, who supplied it 
-svitli fuuds, and -wiio, the better to secure its perpetual 
support, founded for its custody and administration the 
Cougregacion de la Caridad. The constitution that he 
then prepared for its direction was approved by a royal 
order of July 19, 1774 ; and the same order declaimed the 
Archbishops of Mexico to be its rectors in perpetuity. 
By a decree of July 30, 1794, the children reared in the 
clKuity were declared legitimate for all civil purposes, and 
capable of enjoying all employments and honors open 
to good citizens of known birth. It was further provided 
that the children should receive as a patronymic the name 
of Lorenzana, at once to provide them -s^ith an honorable 
name and to perpetuate the fame of the excellent charity 
of the founder. So popular did this chai'ity become that 
its endowment fund in the coui'se of a few yeai*s amoiuit- 
ed to upwai'd of $200,000. Nearly all of this endowment 
was dissipated by the waste incident to revolutionary 
times, and the ch:u"ity now is maintained at the charges 
of the municipjility. It has accommodations for more 
than 200 foundlings. Besides cai'iug for their material 
needs, the children are taught reading, writing, arithme- 
tic, gTammar, drawing, sacred history, Christian doctrine, 
polite behavior ; besides which the girls receive instruc- 
tion in sewing, embroidery, and music. 

Hospicio de Pobres (Asylum for the Poor, I. lOG). 
This very large and important charity, situated upon the 
Avenida Juarez nearly opposite the western end of the 
Alameda, owes its origin to the Precentor Dr. Fernando 
Ortiz Cortes. This worthy gentleman, sorrowing for the 
condition of the many poor in the city's streets, obtained 
a hcense — approved by a royal order of July 9, 1765 — 
that permitted him to gather them together and care for 



CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 201 

them. The asylum was opened March 19, 1774 ; and so 
rapidly did the demands upon it increase that in 1783 an 
annual grant of $1,000 monthly for its support was made 
from the receipts of the government lottery. The build- 
ing was much enlarged by Don Francisco Zufiiga. Later 
the entire charge of the asylum was assumed by the 
municipality. The charity is divided into departments 
in which, respectively, old men, old women, girls, and 
boys are cared for. It has at present about 800 inmates. 
Monte de Piedad (M. 95). The National pawn-sho2) 
of the Monte de Piedad was founded by Pedro Komero 
de Terreros, Conde de Regla, owner of the famous 
mines of Real del Monte, for the charitable purpose of 
enabling the poor of the capital to obtain loans on 
pledges for almost nominal rates of interest. Its effect, 
to the material gain of the poorer classes, was to break 
up the usurious rates of interest previously charged 
by private pawn-brokers. For the purposes of the 
charity ho endowed the establishment with a fund of 
$300,000. His project was approved in a royal order of 
June 2, 1774, published in Mexico February 11, 1775 ; 
and on the 25th of February ensuing the Monte de Pie- 
dad was opened to the public in the ex-college of San 
Pedro y San Pablo. Thence it was removed to the Calle 
do San Juan de Letran ; whence it was removed finally 
to its present handsome building — erected for its accom- 
modation on the site previously occupied by the palace 
of Cortes — in the Calle del Empedradillo, just west of 
the Cathedral. Upon its foundation no fixed charges, 
or, indeed, charges of any sort, were made for its loans. 
Payment for the obligation conferred was left to the dis- 
cretion of the boiTower, who simply was invited, when 
repaying his loan and receiving again his pledge, to make 



302 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

a gift for the maintenance of the charity. This benevo- 
lent laxity led to so much abuse that it became necessary 
to fix a regular rate of interest for loans ; but the rate 
was fixed at the lowest figure that would yield sufficient 
revenue to meet necessary expenses. These exceedingly 
low charges always have been maintained ; the charitable 
purpose of the founder never having been lost sight of 
by the administrators of the fund. When, by bad man- 
agement, in the year 1814, the capital was seriously im- 
paired, being reduced to but little more than $100,000, 
the deficiency was made good and the original endow- 
ment regained. Subsequently to this, good management 
and careful investments raised the capital to upward of 
half a million. The average annual loans on pledges are 
in the neighborhood of $1,000,000, distributed among 
from 40,000 to 50,000 borrowers. During the adminis- 
tration of President Gonzales, in 1884, the capital of the 
Monte de Piedad again was most seriously impaired, and 
its charitable usefulness correspondingly crippled. From 
this blow it has not yet recovered, though on narrower 
lines the beneficent purpose of its founder still is ful- 
filled. 

Sales of unredeemed pledges are made at the Monte 
de Piedad and tourists will find this a very desirable 
place in which to look for bargains in bric-a-brac. As 
the articles are put on sale they are marked with a cer- 
tain price that cannot be lessened until a month has 
passed. During the second month a lower price is af- 
fixed ; and this monthty lessening continues until they 
are sold, or the sum that has been advanced upon them 
is reached. By keeping track of these marking down 
periods the searcher for bric-a-brac very often can secure 
great prizes for comparatively small sums. 



CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 203 

Colegio de la Paz (Vizcainas, T. 100). Tradition tells 
that one evening in the year 1732, three rich merchants 
of Mexico, Don Ambrosio Meave, Don Francisco Echev- 
este, and Don Jose Aldaco, all by birth Biscayans, were 
walking together in the waste place where now stands 
the magnificent building of the Colegio de la Paz. As 
they thus walked they met a party of unkempt, ill-clad 
little girls, whose evil language no less than their forsaken 
appearance pained deeply the hearts of these honest gen- 
tlemen. They asked the children if there was no school 
in that quarter of the town ; and the children answered 
that there was none. As they walked homeward, com- 
muning together upon the pitiful sight that they had 
seen, they resolved conjointly to build and endow a 
school into which girls thus uncared for might be re- 
ceived and carefully taught such useful knowledge and 
such moral truths as would fit them to lead honorable 
and useful lives. This project they at once put into exe- 
cution. The very spot upon which their charitable pur- 
pose was conceived they bought, paying for it the sum 
of $33,618, and the first stone of the building now stand- 
ing there was laid July 31, 1734 — which was then dedi- 
cated to San Ignacio Loyola, whence it derived its primi- 
tive name of Colegio de San Ignacio. By the year 1767, 
the founders had expended upon the institution, in its 
erection, furnishing, and maintenance, the sum of $583,- 
118, and since that date enlargements and repairs have 
brought the total cost to very nearly $2,000,000. The 
foundation, and the constitutional scheme provided for 
its conduct, were approved by Charles m. in a royal 
order of September 1, 1753, the charge of administration 
being confided to the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Aran- 
zaz6 — also a Biscayan foundation. From its control 



I 



204 MFJXICAN GUIDE. 

by this Biscavan fraternity, and influenced by the Bis- 
cavan extraction of its founders, the college came pres- 
ently to be known as the Yizcainas — by which name it 
continues popularly to be styled. X'pon the extinction 
of the Brotherhood the college was taken charge of by a 
boju'd of direction empowered to fill ^'acancies in its 
number subject to the approval of the government. The 
institution has a considerable endowment, and receives 
also jvn juniual subvention froui the goverinnent for its 
support. The school, divided into primary and second- 
ary departments, is admirably managed, the com-se of 
teaching including, in addition to the ordinary branches 
of education, sewing and embroiders* — for which latter 
the establishment is famous, {^Persons properly presented 
may purchase specimens of this very beautiful work.") 
There are at present about 300 pupils in the institution. 
On the execution of the Laws of the Reform the pupils 
of the Colegio de Ninas and the pupils of the Colegio 
de San Miguel de Belen were brought hither. The 
college building is one of the most extensive, substmi- 
tial, and magnificent edifices of the capital. Within it is 
a hiuidsome chapel dedicated to San Ignacio. 

Other Charities. 1. Escuela correccional (Cori-eo- 
tionjil School"* de Artes y Oticios was founded in the ex- 
college of San Gregorio by the governor of the Federal 
District, Don Bamon Fernandez, in the year 1881. — 2. 
Tecpan de Santiagx?, industrial school for orphans, 
founded, in the ancient building of the Tecpan de S;m- 
tiago, by Don Manuel Eduardo de Gt^ivstiza, in 1841. 
There are 1,300 scholai-s in the school. — 3. Escuela de 
Artes y Oficios pju-a mugei'es (industrial school for 
women) founded by the Minister de Gk^bernacion, under 
the auspices of 1^-esident Juarez, in 1871. — 4. Escuela 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT. 205 

de Aries y Oficios para hombros (industrial school for 
juen), founded in the ex-convent of San Lorenzo by Don 
Francisco Tagle. — 5. Escuela de sordo-nuidos (school 
for deaf mutes), founded by Don Ignacio Trigueros and 
Don Urbano Fonseca in 18G7. — G. Escuela de ciegos 
(school for the blind), founded in a portion of the ex- 
convent of the Ensenanza by Don Ignacio Trigueros in 
1871. — 7. Asilo de mendigos (asylum for beggars) 
founded, in a building erected for this purpose, by Don 
Francisco Diaz de Leon in 1870. 



nil PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT. 

Teatro Principal (K. 121). Toward the end of the 

seventeenth century the Brothers of San Hipolito, in 
order to obtain funds wherewith to sustain the Hos- 
pital Real (which see) founded, in connection with that 
charitable i^titution, a small theatre. Li this little 
wooden structure plays were given by the plaj^ers whom 
the Brothers hired, to the very serious annoyance 
— as contemporar}'- writers declare — of the unlucky 
patients ; for the performances made a prodigious noise ! 
And much scandal was created in the city by the spec- 
tacle of theatrical performances presided over by, and 
given for tlie benefit of, a religious order. On the night 
of January 19, 1722, the play of " The Ruin and Burn- 
ing of Jerusalem " was given, with " Here was Troy " 
underlined for the ensuing evening. But a part of the 
embers of Jerusalem remained after the performance 
was ended ; and early on the morning of January 20, 
the theatre was burned down. Among the common 
people the fire was looked upon as a sign of heavenly 



200 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

reprolmtion of tlio nnlioly means of malving money that 
tlio Brothers had adopted. lu this lire a part of the 
hospital also was destroyed. Undeterred by their 
severe lesson, the Brothers rebuilt their theatre imme- 
diately ; and in the year 1725 they built once more, 
though still of wood, in a more desirable location — upon 
the street then called the Ctillo do la Acoquia, but now 
known as the Coliseo Viejo. The entrance to this theatro 
still may be seen near the centre of the Portales. Finjxlly, 
December, 1752, the present building was begun, being 
completed December 25, 1753 — and being that day 
opened with the comedy *' Better it Is than it Was." 
The theatre belonged to the Hospital Real until that 
institution was extinguished. It then passed to the 
college of San Gregorio by the decree of October 11, 
1824: ; and in 1846 passed into private hands. Very 
little of the original structure remains visible. The 
interior has been completely transformed, and the exist- 
ing fayade is a recent construction of the ai'chitect Ig- 
nacio Hidjilga. It is very rai*ely that leading atti'actions 
are found here. 

Teatro Nacional (K. 119). This is the principal and 
most fashionable theatre of the city. It was built after 
phms by the ai-chitect Don Lorenzo Hidalga by Don 
Fnmcisco Ai'beu, and was opened in the year 1844. It 
has a seating capacity of 3,000, a large foyer, and a 
handsome portico. At this theatre at least one good 
Italian or Fi-ench opera company fills an engagement 
of several weeks in the course of each winter, and other 
performances of merit are given here. It also is the 
scene of public functions — as tlie commencement ex- 
ercises of the Militar}' School of Chapultepec — of popu- 
lar concerts, and so forth. 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT. 207 

Other theatres. Tlio Arbou (T. 123), in tho Callc do 
San Folipcj Nori, was opc3nod in 1875. A company of 
Mexican playci-H usually <^[vv.h good comedy or entertain- 
ing tragedy.— The Hidalgo (V. 122), in tho Calle do Cor- 
chero, is on the same footing as tho Arbeu. Neither of 
these theatres is fashionable, but both are wholly respect- 
able. — There are several small theatres, rouglily Ijuilt of 
wood, in which performances are given on Sunday and 
feast-day afternoons to popular audiences. A great deal 
of human nature can bo seen at these performances ; but 
tho audiences are not of a desirable sort to mingle with. 

Salon do Conclertos, the concert hall of the Conser- 
vatorio do Musica (M. 104). Concerts of a high order 
of excellence are given here by the Sociedad Filarmonica. 
This little theatre is tho handsomest in tho city. 

Circus. During several winters past a tolerably good 
circus performance has been given in tho City by an 
American circus company. Circus performances also are 
given by a Mexican company — less striking as gymnastic 
exhibitions, but on other grounds highly entertaining. 
Tho situation of the tents may bo learned from adver- 
tisements in tho daily papers. 

Plaza de Toros. Bull-fighting is prohibited in tho 
Federal District, but not in the State of Mexico. Tho 
bull-ring nearest to the city is upon tho hacienda of Hui- 
/achal, a short distance southwest of Chapultepec. Bull- 
fights take place on Sunday and feast-day afternoons. 
Horse-cars (the lines for Tacubaya and San Angel) pass 
near HuizachaL 



208 MEXICAN GUIDE. 



IX. PUBLIC WORKS. 

Piaza Mayor de la Constitucion, tiie Main Plaza, 
in tlie centre of the city. In the primitive city of Tenoch- 
titlan a considerable portion of the present Plaza was 
included in the grounds belonging to the great temple. 
When the present city was laid out, in 1522, after the 
temple had been destroyed, an open space was left here. 
In coui'se of time, however, various small buildings 
were erected on this space, and the portion of it remain- 
ing free of buildings was occupied as a market. The 
present Plaza, therefore, dates from a royal order of 
January 18, 1611, that caused the market to be removed. 
A lai'ge number of small wooden buildings still re- 
mained in the southern haK of the Plaza, but these, 
fortunately, were burned down. The fire, which took 
place November 16, 1658, began in a barber shop be- 
longing to a Chinaman (at this time Mexico's trade with 
China had risen to great proportions) and was fought in 
an eminently characteristic manner. The fire brigade 
consisted of the prominent clergy of the city, headed by 
the Archbishop, and the fire-quenching apparatus was a 
formidable array of holy relics held up in sight of the 
flames. The method was not a success : all the build- 
ings were burned. This portion of the Plaza being 
cleai-ed, a still further cleai-ance was made in the ensuiDg 
January, when all the fruit-sellers and bakers were 
ordered to betake themselves to the site of the present 
market of the Yolador ; and in October a general clear- 
ance of the remaining buildings was effected, and drain- 
age trenches were cut leading to the acequia that then 
ran along the southern side. The reform was only tern- 



PUBLIC WORKS. 209 

porary, however, for presently the little shops all were 
back again. No less than 280 of them were erected — 
the rents derived from them b}' the city being more at- 
tractive than their objectionable presence was repulsive 
— and the aggregation of little buildings was known as 
the cajoncitos (shoplets) de San Jose. These were all 
destroyed in the great riot of June 8, 1692. In the year 
1692, following a bad season, there was a famine in the 
land, disposing the common people to mutiny. The 
actual beginning of the riot was the killing of an Indian 
woman by a vender of corn, a mulatto, as the result of 
an altercation that had arisen between them in regard 
to the price — for corn was more precious than silver in 
that bad time and the price was very high. The hus- 
band of the slain woman carried her body to his home 
in the Indian quarter of Santiago Tlaltelolco ; and there, 
showing her thus dead to his hungry and moody neigh- 
bors, and calling for vengeance, he found no difficulty in 
sowing the seeds of riot in the fertile field of their dis- 
content. Presently, at the head of a mob of two hun- 
dred, he returned to the city ; and he and his company 
sought to see the Archbishop and the Viceroy that they 
might have justice and food. But as these dignitaries 
of the Cburch and State refused to hold converse with 
them, the Indians presently assaulted the Archbishop's 
and the Viceroy's palaces with sticks and stones. With 
each moment came more Indians, swelling the crowd in 
the Plaza ; and as they grew bolder with added numbers 
they built fires at the doors of the palaces, and before 
the door also of the house of the Ayuntamiento, and 
these fires they fed with the wood whereof the little 
shops in the Plaza were built : and the end of it all was 
that the palaces and some other buildings thereabouts, 
14 



210 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

and all the little shops, were destroyed. On this occa- 
sion the clergy made no effort to put out the fire, but to 
them the ending of the riot was due : for the canons of the 
Cathedral brought thence the Host, and at sight of this 
the tumult was stilled. The loss occasioned by the riot 
was upward of $3,000,000. In the fire were lost a portion 
of the archives of the city ; and all would have been lost 
but for the bravery of their guardian, Don Carlos de Sigil- 
enza y Gongora, who at the peril of his Hfe brought the 
more precious of the records from among the flames. 

After this sweeping of the Plaza the Ayuntamiento 
erected upon its southern side a handsome stone building 
for the accommodation of merchants of the better class, 
that was completed April 19, 1703, and that was known 
by the Mexican name of the Parian (bazar) — and in a 
little while the venders of fruit and other small mer- 
chants asserted themselves as before. An existing print, 
of about the beginning of the eighteenth century, shows 
the Plaza thus encumbered ; and adorned — directly in 
front of the Vice-royal palace — with the gallows and the 
frame for the display of the heads of criminals, with a 
forlorn statue of Fernando VI. , and with the cemetery of 
the cathedral extending far beyond the limits of the pres- 
ent atrium ; while along the Plaza's eastern and southern 
sides were open drains foul beyond words. Such was 
its condition when the Conde de Revillagigedo became 
Viceroy in 1789. This very positive and energetic gentle- 
man reformed a great many things in Mexico, and the 
Plaza Mayor was one of them. He caused the open 
ditches to be made into culverts ; the walls surrounding 
the cemetery of the cathedral to be torn down, and a 
smaller space inclosed by stone posts and chains (some 
of which stiU remain) ; the gallows and array of crimi- 



PUBLIC WOEKS. 211 

nal's heads to be removed, and the whole Plaza cleansed 
and set in order. Still further improvements were made 
by inclosing a large circular space with a stone wall and 
iron gates preparatory to the erection here (November 9, 
1803) of the equestrian statue of Charles V. (which see) ; 
subsequently removed (1824) for safe-keeping to the pa- 
tio of the University. 

During all this time, a period of more than a century 
and a quarter, the Parian remained the seat of Mexico's 
richest trade. Within it the merchant princes of the 
city had great stores of all manner of gold and jewels 
and rich stuffs from the East. It disappeared in Decem- 
ber, 1828, in the midst of a revolutionary outbreak. 
For several days, following December 3, the robbing 
continued, no effort being made to check it by the revo- 
lutionary leaders temporarily in possession of the city. 
The stolen merchandise even was sold publicly, at very 
low prices, in the plazuela of Santo Domingo. In the 
history of Mexico there is no more disgraceful page 
than this which records the sacking of the Parian. When 
order was restored the merchants had no desire to re- 
turn to the unlucky building ; and from that time dates 
the establishment of the principal shops of the city in 
the streets of San Francisco and Plateros. In the year 
1843 the Parian was torn down and its site became a part 
of the Plaza. The existing Garden of the Zocalo derives 
its name from the foundation {zocalo) that was laid there 
forty years or so ago, for a monument to Mexican Inde- 
pendence ; but the monument never got further than its 
foundation,* and the zocalo is now used as a music stand. 

* There is a precise parallel to this in the base of the Washing- 
ton Monument laid more than fifty years ago in Washington 
Square, Philadelphia. 



212 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

The Garden of tlie Zocalo is pretty in itself, but as it 
ruins the view of the cathedral its removal is to be hoped 
for. It was made in 1S66, during the French occupation, 
and is an artistic mistake. The gai-dens on the west, 
south, and east sides of the cathedral, also are to be re- 
erretted, since thev have lessened the size of the atiium 
and injured the general effect. All of these have been 
made since the year 1S80, that on the eastern side 
being made in 1885. The fight against the httle shops 
and other disfiguring features still continues — the city 
fathers being tempted, as in the past, by the considerable 
rents to be obtained from thus leasing the public lands. 
Only a short time ago, in the spring of 1885, the pressure 
of pubhc opinion compelled the removal of a circus tent 
and a disreputable shanty-theatre from the Plaza del 
Seminario (where the eastern garden now is), these struc- 
tures having for several years interrupted the beautiful 
view of the Sagrario that now can be had from the north- 
em end of the Palace. Usually a band plays in the gar- 
den of the Zocalo in the evening ; the whole Plaza is 
hghted briUiantly, and all classes take here their evening 
stroll. The general effect is eminently operatic. 

Flam del Seminario, an extension noi-thward of the Plaza 
Mayor. It derives its name from the extinct Seminario 
Concihar, formerly housed in a large building (part 
of which still exists) at its northern end. In this plaza 
is a cui'ions and verv interestinf]: monument to Eniico 
Martinez, the famous engineer by whom the drainage of 
the valley was effected by the cut of Xochistongo. On 
a base, surrounded by an iron railing having bronze 
lamps at its angles, is raised a square pedestal of marble 
supporting a female figui-e in bronze, emblematic of the 
City of Mexico, modelled by the sculptor Norena. Inlaid 



PUBLIC WORKS. 213 

in the marble pedestal are bronze standards of the vara, 
metre, and yard ; the bench-mark (identical with that on 
the northwestern corner of the Palace) from which all 
elevations are computed ; a record of the level of the 
water in Lake Texcoco at various epochs ; the magnetic 
declination, together with other interesting engineering 
data. 

La Alameda (so-called because it was first planted 
with dlamos, or poj)lars. The name is now applied very 
generally throughout Mexico to any large pleasure- 
ground or park). In a council held January 11, 1592, 
the then Vicero}', Don Luis de Velasco, requested the 
Ayuntamiento to set apart a portion of the city funds for 
making a j^ctseo for the ennoblement of Mexico and the 
recreation of its citizens. The Ayuntamiento, approving 
this request, set apart the place known as the Tianquis 
(market) de San Hipolito, a very ancient Indian market, 
for a pleasure-ground ; the tract embracing only that 
portion of the present Alameda that lies east of a line 
drawn from the church of Corpus Christi to the church 
of San Juan de Dios. And this place was planted with 
jDoplar trees ; was made beautiful with fountains and 
flowers, and was inclosed with a wall pierced by gate- 
ways. In the open space westward was the Plaza del 
Quemadero, so-called because there was erected the 
stone platform whereon were burned the criminals con- 
demned by the Inquisition (see p. 137). During the 
reign (1766-71) of the Viceroy the Marques de Croix, 
the quemadero was removed (though the unholiness of 
the act raised such a storm about the Viceroy's ears that 
the quemadero seemed in a fair way to remain and the 
Viceroy to be burned upon it for heresy !) thus giving 
to the Alameda its present shape and size : a parallelo- 



214 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

gram 1,-183 feet long*, by 712 wide. It was still further 
improved by tlie Viceroy Revillagigedo who, in the yeav 
1791, encircled it with a high wooden fence through 
which access was had by means of wooden gates. In 
1822 the stone wall and iron gates which had inclosed 
the statue of Chiules IV. in the Plaza Mayor were re- 
moved, and were erected around it ; a wide, shallow 
fosse being made outside of this inclosui-e. Within 
the past few years the Alameda has been given its pres- 
ent beautiful appeanxnce. The fosse has been tilled in, 
the gates and wall removed (the last of the wjxll being 
taken away in 1885), the numerous fountains placed in 
perfect order, quantities of roses and flowering shrubs 
planted, a handsome music stand built, and various other 
substontitil improvements in excellent taste effected. In 
the course of this reformation one change in shock- 
ingly bad taste has been made : all of the picturesque 
gray stone benches have been painted m oflensively 
briUiant colors ! The Alameda is the favorite morning 
wallv for ladies and children. It is much frequented, 
also, by the students of the capital, who come to this 
quiet place to study. 

Paseo de la VIga, in the southeastern suburb, on the 
banks of the Viga canal. This tincient paseo is almost 
deserted save during Lent, when an old custom pre- 
scribes that fashion shall air itself here — a custom that 
with each passing year is less and less observed. It is a 
forlorn pasco now, having been sadly neglected of late 
yeiu's. About midway in its lengih is a melancholy bust 
(erected August 13, 1869) of Guatimotzin — the last of 
the Aztec kings. But for all its forlornness, it is by fai* 
the most entertiiining drive in the vicinity of the city, 
the veiy pictm-esque adjunct of the Viga canal (which 



PUBLIC WOKKS. 215 

see) giving a characteristic quality to it not to be 
found elsewhere. During Lent, and especially early in 
the morning of Thursday in Easter week (when the banks 
of the canal and the boats plying upon it are buried in 
flowers), a more delightful drive than that along the 
Paseo de la Viga is not to be found. 

Paseo de Bu care 1 1, or Paseo Nuevo, in the south- 
western suburb, was opened November 4, 1778, during 
the Vice-royalty of Don Antonio Maria do Bucareli — 
whence its name. The paseo has the same starting-point 
as that of the Reforma, the circular plazuela in which 
stands the statue of Charles IV., and extends almost due 
south from the city to the Garita de Belen, a distance of 
about half a mile. In the glorieta (the large circular space 
surrounded by stone benches) near its centre is a once 
handsome fountain surmounted by a statue of Victory, 
the whole (completed September IG, 1829) having been 
erected in honor of Guerrero. This paseo practically is 
abandoned. 

Paseo de la Reforma, in the southwestern suburb, 
the fashionable drive, and one of the most beautiful 
drives possessed by any city either in Europe or Amer- 
ica. The paaeo, begun during the French occupation, 
is of ample width, two miles long, and leads in a straight 
line from the plazuela in which stands the equestrian 
statue of Charles IV. to the gates of Chapultcpec — 
the castle standing out very effectively upon its craggy 
height at the end of the long perspective formed by the 
double row of trees on each side of the avenue. Be- 
neath the trees are broad footways, along which carved 
stone benches are disposed at short intervals. In the 
course of the two miles there are six glorietas, each 400 
feet in diameter, surrounded by stone benches. Two of 



216 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

these already are adorned with imposing monuments, 
Cohimbus and Guatimotzin (see Monuments) ; in a third 
a monument to Juai'ez soon will be erected, and the 
othoi*s similarly ^Yill be devoted to the memory of men 
illustrious in Mexic:in history. The statue of Chaiies 
IV., at the beginning of this line of works of ai't (al- 
though foreign to the historic imities of the scheme as a 
whole) adds materially to the very impressive general 
effect. The pasco is the daily early morning and late 
afternoon ride and drive of fashionable Mexico. In the 
morning the pascar — usually extended through the gi'ove 
of Chapultepec — is taken at a brisk pace and for its own 
sake ; in the aftei'noon it is a slow, formal performance 
over less thi\n half the length of the paseOj and is taken 
for the s:\ke of seeing and being seen. 

Calzadas (causeways). Three muTow causeways, 
noi'th, south, and west, connected tlie ancient city of 
Tenochtitlan with the mainhmd. Eastwai'd of the city 
were the far-extending waters of Lake Texcoco. The 
southern causeway, probably known as Acachinanco, 
forked at a point northwai'd of the existing Giuita of 
San Antonio Abad, one branch extending southwest to 
Coyoac^m, the other southeast to Ixtapalapan. It was 
by the route fi'om Ixtapalapan that Cortes entered the 
city, his meeting with Montezuma taking place in Huit- 
ziUan at the iutei*section of the present streets of the 
Paja (or Hospital de Jesus) and Jesus, The causeway 
was enlai'i;ed in the year 1G05. 

The western causeway, leading to Tlacopan (of which 
word Tacuba is a corruption) is identicjil with the cause- 
way now existing. This primitive footway, being the 
shortest connection with the mainland, was the fii*st to 
be widened by the Spaniai'ds aftei* the Conquest In 



PUBLIC WORKS. 217 

order to make a sure way of retreat the several cuts, so 
disastrous to them during the retreat of the Noche 
Triste, were filled in ; the path was broadened, and 
especial inducements were offered to house-building 
along the causeway to the end that a series of defences 
might be thus obtained. 

The northern causeway, leading to Tepeyac, now Te- 
peyacac is identical with the eastern of the now-existing 
two causeways leading northward. It was repaired and 
enlarged, under the direction of Fray Juan de Torque- 
niada, then guardian of the monastery of Santiago Tlal- 
telolco, after the inundation of 1604 — at which time all 
of the causeways underwent repair and enlargement, 
and the new causeways leading to Chapultepec and to 
the Piedad, were built. The western of the two cause- 
■\vays to Guadalupe, the Calzada Nueva, is of more recent 
construction. It was begun December 17, 1675, and 
was finished August 17, 1676, under the direction of the 
then Viceroy and Archbishop, Don Fray Payo de Rivera. 
This elegant work was ornamented by a large glorleta 
i.ear its middle, and by fifteen beautiful altar-like struc- 
tures of stone, richly sculptured, disposed at regular in- 
tervals, dedicated to the fifteen mysteries of the rosary ; 
in front of each of which the appropriate prayer was 
made by the pilgrims walking from the city to the shrine 
of Guadalupe. It is greatly to be regretted that this most 
rurious and magnificent work has been suffered to fall 
into decay. The arches of the numerous little bridges 
along it have been broken down ; several of the beautiful 
altars have disappeared entirely ; the fjlorieta (restored 
about fortyyears ago) again is in ruins, and — crowning act 
of vandalism — the entire causeway has been turned into a 
railway embankment for the use of the line to Vera Cruz ! 



I 



218 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Aqueducts. The water-supply of the city is pro- 
vided by two open aqueducts, numerous artesian wells, 
and a line of pipes (for the supply of the northern 
quarter) from springs near Guadalupe. The longer 
aqueduct, bringing the best water, is supplied from 
springs in the mountains of the Leones and near the 
Desierto, about twenty miles southwest of the cit}'-. 
The aqueduct proper begins at Tres Cruces, four miles 
from the city, skirts the western edge of the park of 
Chapultepec and enters the city at San Cosme. Form- 
erly it was continued eastward from San Cosme to the 
street of Santa Ysabel — passing the Alameda and af- 
fording a convenient place from which to witness the 
burning of criminals condemned by the Inquisition. 
From San Cosme the water now is brought into the 
city through pipes. This important work was exe- 
cuted by the Viceroy, the Marques de Montes Claros be- 
tween the years 1603 and 1G07, being then completed 
to precisely where it now ends at San Cosme ; it was 
extended to Santa Ysabel in 1620. It is composed of 
more than nine hundred arches of brick and stone, ris- 
ing from a solid stone foundation, and carrying a solid 
stone wall five feet thick, upon the top of which is the 
open channel. Its cost was $150,000 — probably little 
more than the cost of material employed. 

The shorter aqueduct, about two miles in length, 
similar in construction to the foregoing, bi'ings the water 
from the great spring at Chapultepec to the southwestern 
quarter of the citj. Its terminus is the handsome foun- 
tain, in the churrigueresque style, known as the Salto 
del Agua. A long inscription upon this fountain tells 
that the aqueduct was completed during the Viceroyalty 
of Don Antonio Maria de Bucareli, March 20, 1779. 



VARIOUS MATTERS OF INTEREST. 219 

Another inscription contains the statement : "The course 
of this aqueduct is the same as that of the aqueduct 
made by the Aztecs in the reign of Chimalpopoca, who 
was granted the right to the water of Chapultepec by 
the king of Atzcapotzalco : to whom the Aztecs were 
tributary until the reign of Itzcohuatl (1422-33, a.d.) 
when they achieved their independence." 



X VARIOUS MATTERS OF INTEREST, 

Public Monuments. Among the notable public 
monuments of the city the oldest, and on some accounts 
the most interesting, is the equestrian statue of Charles 
IV., standing in the plazuela at the western end of the 
Avenida Juarez. At the request of the then Viceroy, the 
Marques de Branciforte, a royal order was issued, Novem- 
ber 30, 1795, granting him permission to erect this statue 
in the Plaza Mayor. The Marques formally assumed the 
charges of the work, but in point of fact nearly the whole 
of its cost was defrayed by the municiimlity and private 
individuals. The commission was given to the sculptor 
and architect Don Manuel Tolsa, and the casting in bronze 
to Don Salvador de la Vega. Pending the completion of 
the work, a wooden model of the statue, gilded, was 
placed on the pedestal prepared for it in the centre of 
the Plaza Mayor ; around the pedestal was a large fjloriela^ 
inclosed with stone seats and four handsome iron gates 
(now the gates of the park of Chapultepec). The mould 
and furnaces were made ready in the gardens of San 
Gregorio, and — after two days spent in fusing the mass 
of metal, nearly thirty tons — the casting was made at 6 
A.M., August 4, 1802. The casting, remarkable alike for 



220 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

being in a single piece, and for being the first important 
piece of bronze executed in America, came out from the 
mould complete and without defect. Fourteen months 
were employed in finishing the work, and on November 
29, 1803, it was raised upon its pedestal in the Plaza. The 
formal unveiling took place, with great ceremony, on the 
9th of the ensuing December. Here it remained until 
1822 when, the feeling against Spain being very bitter, 
the glorieta in the Plaza was torn away — the stone benches 
and gates being removed to the Alameda — and the statue 
was inclosed in a great wooden globe, painted blue, so 
that the sight of it might not be an offence to patriotic 
eyes. But even thus covered the statue excited so much 
ill-will that, in 1824, it was taken down from its pedestal 
and placed in the patio of the University — a comparatively 
out-of-the-way place, where it remained in genteel semi- 
obscurity until 1852. By this time the bitter feeling 
against Spain had so far passed away that the statue safely 
could be made public once more. It was then set up in 
the commanding position that it now occupies. It is, as 
has been said, a solid casting in bronze, weighing nearly 
thirty tons ; the height of horse and rider, together, 15 ft. 
9 in. The king is dressed in classic style, wearing a laurel 
wreath and holding in his right hand a raised sceptre. The 
horse is represented in the act of walking slowly, the 
left fore-foot and the right hind-foot being raised. The 
general effect of the work is heavy, but the lines and com- 
position are good ; the figure is well seated, and the ac- 
tion of the horse is excellent. Considering the circum- 
stances under which this work was executed — to say noth- 
ing of the difficulty of making an heroic figure out of 
such desperately ugly material as was afforded by this 
particular king — the statue is entitled to high praise. 



VAEIOUS MATTEES OF INTEREST. 221 

The Columbus monument, in the Paseo de la Reforma, 
was erected at the charges of Don Antonio Escandon, to 
whose pubHc spirit and enterprise the building of the 
Vera Cruz and Mexico railway was due. The monument 
is the work of the French sculptor Cordier. The base 
is a large platform of basalt surrounded by a balustrade 
of iron, above which are five lanterns. From this base 
rises a square mass of red marble ornamented with four 
basso-relievos : the arms of Columbus, surrounded with 
garlands of laurels ; the rebuilding of the monastery of 
Santa Maria de la Rabida ; the discovery of the island of 
San Salvador ; a fragment of a letter from Columbus to 
Raphadi Sauris, beneath which is the dedication of the 
monument by Senor Escandon. Above the basso-relievos, 
surrounding the pedestals, are four life-size figures in 
bronze : in front and to the right of the statue of Co- 
lumbus (that stands upon a still higher plane) Padre 
Marchena, guardian of the monastery of Santa Maria de 
la Rabida ; in front and to tlie left. Padre Fray Diego 
Dehesa, confessor of King Ferdinand — to the support of 
which two men Columbus owed the royal favor ; in the 
rear, to the right, Fray Pedro de Gante ; in the rear, to 
the left. Fray Bartolome de las Casas — the two mission- 
aries who most earnestly gave their protection to the In- 
dians. Crowning the whole, upon a pedestal of red mar- 
ble, is the figure of Columbus, in the act of drawing 
aside the veil that hides the New World. In conception 
and in treatment this work is admirable ; charming in 
sentiment, and technically good. The monument stands 
in a little garden inclosed by iron chains hung upon 
posts of stone, around which extends a large glorieta. 

The Cuauhtemotzin (Guatimotzin) monument, in the 
Paseo de la Reforma, not yet completed, promises to be 



MEXICAN" GUIDE. 

a worthy associate of the monument to Columbus. It is 
the work of the architect Don Francisco Jimenez, and 
very skilfully combines modern forms with primitive 
Mexican architectural detail. A bust of this unfortunate 
monarch, the last Aztec king, also is found in the old 
Paseo de la Viga, where it was placed August 13, 1869 — 
the anniversary of the final conquest of the city. 

The Juarez monument, the work of the brothers Islas, 
marking the grave of the great President in the cemetery 
of San Fernando, is entitled to almost unqualified praise. 
The design comprehends a Grecian temj)le of marble, 
small but well proportioned, without interior walls and 
surrounded by rows of columns. On the base thus pro- 
tected but not obscured is the commemorative group : 
the dead President stretched at full length, his head 
supported on the knee of a mourning female figure of 
Mexico. There is a simplicity, a nobility, a freedom 
from conventionalism, in this work that, joined with its 
excellent technical qualities and its full expression of 
heroic grief, makes it most impressive as a monumental 
marble and to a high degree satisfying as a work of art. 

In the plazuela de Morelos, between the churches of 
Santa Vera Cruz and San Juan de Dios is a statue in 
marble of the hero-priest Morelos, the work of the 
sculptor Piati. It is interesting as having been erected 
during the French occupation — though ordered before 
that time — and as having been unveiled by Maximilian, 
September 30, 1865, on the one hundredth anniversary 
of the patriot's birth. In the plaza of San Fernando is a 
bronze statue of the patriot Guerrero, modelled by the 
sculptor Noreiia and cast in Mexico. 

Notable Buildings. North of the Calle del Parque 
del Conde, facing the plazuela de Jesus and close by the 



VARIOUS MATTERS OF INTEREST. 223 

Hospital de Jesus, is the quaintly magnificent house 
once owned by the Condes de Santiago, one of the most 
noble families of New Spain. The house is three stories 
in height and gains distinct individuality from the 
stone water-spouts, wrought in the form of cannon, pro- 
jecting from its battlements. The doors of the main 
entrance are richly carved, the central carving being the 
arms of the family. In the interior is a large and beau- 
tiful pa^io. The lower floors of the building are now 
used as shops. In the rear of the house formerly were 
extensive grounds, the parque^ whence the adjacent 
street derives its name. 

The building in the First Calle de San Francisco, pop- 
ularly known as the Palace of Yturbide (occupied since 
1855 as a hotel), a ponderous and rather dismal struc- 
ture, was erected by the Marquesa de San Mateo Val- 
paraiso in the last century. This estimable lady was 
possessed of a very large fortune and by a strong de- 
termination that her lawful heirs should derive no bene- 
fit from it. Therefore she built this palace, apparently 
believing that no one ever would be found who willingly 
would live in it. The land upon which it stands had 
belonged to the convent of Santa Brigida, and a convent 
would have been built here but for the Marquesa's whim. 
The building is notable as having been occuj^ied by the 
Emperor Yturbide during his ephemeral reign. 

On the northern side of the causeway leading to Ta- 
cuba, a short distance outside the Garita of San Cosme, 
is the casa de los mascarones, so called because of its 
curious grotesque ornamentation, of which stone masks 
are a conspicuous feature. This highly original dwell- 
ing was begun by Don Jose de Mendoza, Conde del 
Valle de Orizaba, but at the time of his death, in the 



224 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

year 1771, only the extraordinary exterior was com- 
pleted. Upon this he had spent $100,000. For a long 
while it was suffered to fall into decay, being even used 
as a stable. In the year 1824 it was sold at auction for 
a small sum and was made habitable ; not being finished, 
however, in accordance with the original plans. A more 
delightfully irrational dwelling than this is never was 
devised by mortal man. Just inside the Garita of San 
Cosme is a partly ruined fountain built into the aque- 
duct : a finely carved company of fiddling kings. The 
eccentricity of the design, combined with its proximity 
to the casa de los mascarones, suggest the probability 
that it owes its origin to this same very queer count. 

Near the western end and upon the southern side of 
the Puente de Alvarado is a house noticeable because of 
the recessed curve of its front, its walled-up windows 
on the ground floor, and the glimpse to be had through 
its locked iron gates of a great tangled but beautiful 
garden in the rear. It was originally the property of the 
Seiiora Dona Victoria Eul de Perez Galvez ; but is more 
noteworthy as having been owned for a time by Bazaine. 

On the First Calle de San Francisco, with its western 
side upon the plazuela de Guardiola, is the very beauti- 
ful casa de azulejos — tiled house^ — built by the Marques 
del Valle de Oaxaca, the son, or grandson, of Cortes and 
La Marina. As a curiosity, and as a work of art, this 
bouse is unique in Mexico. 

Among the other buildings which command attention 
either by their size or their beauty, or by both combined, 
are : The Banco Nacional, at the corner of the Puente 
del Espiritu Santo and the Calle de Capuchinas ; the 
dwelling of the Escandon family, fronting upon the 
plazuela de Guardiola ; and the Vera Cruz railway station. 



VAKIOUS MATTEKS OF II^TEREST. 225 

Throughout the whole citj^ but especially in the regions 
adjacent to the Hospital de Jesus, the Cathedral, and the 
church of Santo Domingo, many old houses will be found 
adorned with carvings in stone and wood, stucco-work, 
and wi'ought iron, the sight of which will warm an artist's 
heart. 

Panteones (cemeteries). The most renowned ceme- 
tery in Mexico, that of San Fernando, adjoining the 
church of the same name, is closed to the public. The 
attendant in charge, however, usually permits strangers 
to enter ; in return for which courtesy (and not because 
a fee is expected) a present of a real will not be out of 
place. Here are buried some of the men most illus- 
trious in Mexican history : Juarez, Guerrero, Miramon, 
Zaragoza, Comonfort, and others only less famous. Ex- 
cepting the noble tomb of Juarez (see Public Monu- 
ments), a work of which any nation might well be proud 
as fitly marking a glorious grave, the tombs in San Fer- 
nando are conventional and for the most pai't in very 
bad taste. 

In the open cemetery of Dolores, on the hill-side south- 
west of Tacubaya (Tacubaya car to the station just be- 
yond Chapultepec, whence a smaller car runs direct to 
the cemeter}') are many beautiful tombs, and much taste 
has been shown in laying out the grounds. 

The French cemetery (reached by the Piedad line of 
cars) also contains a number of fine tombs. The Eng- 
lish and American cemeteries lie together in the Tlax- 
pana, and are reached by the tramway to that suburb ; 
in the American cemetery are buried more than four 
hundred American soldiers who died in Mexico in 1847. 
A small cemetery is attached to the chapel of Guadalupe 
that, being an especially holy place of burial, contains 
15 



226 MEXECA^?^ GUIDE. 

the remains of manT iHustrious personages. Other im- 
portant cemeteries are : San Diego, San Pablo, Piedad, 
Salinas, los Angeles and Campo Florido. 

El Salto de Alvarado ^Alyarado's Lieap). A little 
west of the middle of the Puente de Alvarado the line of 
house -fronts is broken by a recessed space that is shut 
off from the sti-eet by a low walL surmounted by an iron 
grating. Ti*adition declares that precisely at this point 
in the primitive causeway, leading from TenochtiHa n 
westward, was the break across which, during the re- 
treat of the Xoche Triste, Alvarado made his famous 
leap. 



XI. EXriEOXS OF MEXICO. 

Guadalupe. In primitive times an Aztec divinity, 
Tonantzin ('•' the Mother of Gods ''), was worshipped at a 
shrine where the capilla del cerrito of Guadalupe now 
stands. The chronicler Fray Agustin de Tetancurt 
(tempo 1672) thus describes the miracle that occurred to 
change the worship of the pagan mother of gods to wor- 
ship of the Christian God-mother : Juan Diego, a native 
of Cuauhtitlan, who lived with his wife Lucia Maria in 
the town of Tolpetlac, went to hear mass in the church 
of Santiago Tlaltelolco on the morning of Saturday, De- 
cember 9, 1531. As he was near the hill called Tepeya- 
cac he heard the music of angels. Then beheld he amid 
splendors, a Lady who spoke to him, directing him to go 
to the Bishop and tell that it was her will that in that 
place should be built to her a temple. Lpon his knees 
he listened to her bidding, and then, happy and confused, 
betook himself to the Bishop with the message that she 
had given him. But while the Bishop. Don Juan Zumar- 



ENVIRONS OF MEXICO. 227 

raga, heard him with benignity he could not give credence 
to the prodigy that he was told. With this disconsolate 
answer he returned, finding there again the Lady ; who 
heard what he had to tell and bade him come to her again. 
Therefore on the Sunday ensuing he was at the hill-side, 
when she appeared to him for the third time and repeated 
her order that he should convey to the Bishop her com- 
mand that the temple should be built. The Bishop heard 
the message, still incredulously, and ordered that the In- 
dian should bring some sure sign by which might be 
shown that what he told was true : and when the Indian 
departed the Bishop sent two of his servants to watch him 
secretly : yet as he neared the holy hill he disappeared 
from the sight of these watchers ! Unseen, then, of these, 
he met the Lady and told that he had been required to 
bring some sure sign of her appearance ; and she told him 
to come again the next day and he should have that sign. 
But when he came to his home he found there his uncle, 
Juan Bernardino, lying very ill [having that fever which 
the Indians call cocolixtli]. Through the next day he was 
busied in attendance upon the sick man ; but the sick- 
ness increased, and early on the morning of December 
12th he went to call from Tlaltelolco a confessor. That he 
might not be delayed in his quest by that Lady's impor- 
tunities, he went not by the usual path, but by another 
skirting the eastern side of the hill. But as he passed 
the hill he saw the Lady coming down to him and heard 
her calling to him. He told her of his errand, and of its 
urgent need for quickness, whereupon she replied that 
he need not feel further trouble as already his uncle's 
illness was cured. Then ordered she him to cut some 
flowers in that barren hill, and to his amazement he per- 
ceived flowers growing there. She charged him to take 



228 SIEXICAX GriDE. 

these miraculous flowers to the Bishop as the sign that 
he had requested ; and she commanded that Juan Diego 
should show them to no other until they were seen of the 
Bishop's eyes. Therefore he wrapped them in his filma, 
or blanket, and hastened away. And then, from the spot 
where most holy Mary stood, there gushed forth a spring 
of brackish water, which now is venerated and is an anti- 
dote to infirmities. Juan Diego waited at the entrance 
of the Bishop's house until he should come out, and when 
he appeared and the flowers were shown him, there was 
seen the image of the Virgin beautifully painted upon the 
Indian's til ma ! The Bishop placed the miraculous pic- 
ture in his oratory, Tenerating it greatly ; and Juan Diego 
returning to his home with two servants of the Bishop, 
foimd that his imcle had been healed of his sickness in 
the very hour that the Virgin declared that he was 
well. As quickly as possible the Bishop caused a chapel 
to be built upon the spot where the Virgin had appeared 
and where the miraculous roses had sprung up from the 
barren rock ; and here he placed the holy image on the 
7th of February, 1532. Juan Diego and his uncle Bernar- 
dino became the servants of the Vii'gin in this sanctuary ; 
and Juan Diego, being moved by a sermon preached 
by the venerable Fray Toribio Motolinia, and his wife 
Lucia Maria consenting and taking a like vow, took there 
the vow of chastity. Thenceforth he lived in a Httle house 
beside the chapel ; and there he died a most Christian 
death in the year 154S. 

The Papal sanction of the apparition followed in due 
order of gradation, from recognition to entire approval 
In 1663 Alexander VII. admitted the relation of the 
apparition and ordered its investigation by the Congre- 
gation of Eites, preparatory to granting the request pre- 



ENVIRONS OF MEXICO. 229 

f erred by the church in Mexico that the 12th of De- 
cember should be set ajjart in perpetuit}^ as a day of holy 
festival iu the Mexican Virgin's honor. Pending further 
inquiry, Clement IX. conceded (1GG7) a plenary jubilee 
to be held upon this date. For nearly a century the 
festival was continued on this basis, during which period 
the Virgin of Guadalupe received recognition in various 
ways from successive Popes, but the formal and official 
recognition and indorsement of the miracle by the Con- 
gregation of Eites still was withheld.. In the meantime 
the Mexicans on their own account had made this Vir- 
gin their Patron Saint. In recognition of the protection 
that she had afforded during the dreadful pestilence, 
known as the matlazahuatl, of 1736, the ecclesiastical and 
secular chapters, representing the church and the peo- 
ple, solemnly elected her their patroness. At last, 
through the exertions of the Jesuit Father Lopez, sent 
expressly for this purpose to Rome, the long-delayed 
confirmation of the miracle by the Congregation of llites 
was accorded — though somewhat grudgingly — in the 
Papal bull of May 25, 1754. By this bull the festival of 
December 12th officially was instituted, and the Virgin 
of Guadalupe was declared to be the Patroness and Pro- 
tectress of New Spain. Being so essentially a Mexican 
divinity, the Guadalupe Virgin was looked upon as the 
especial champion of the Mexicans in their revolt against 
Spanish dominion ; and the more so because the stand- 
ard around which Hidalgo rallied the first army of revo- 
lutionists was a banner whereon this Virgin w^as blaz- 
oned. " Guadalupe " became the war-cry of the rebels, 
as **Remedios" (which see), the especially Spanish Vir- 
gin, was the war-cry of the loyalists. The conspicuous 
part thus boi-ne by the Mexican Virgin in the war for 



230 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

independence, and the bappy issue tliat her assistance 
gave to that conflict, still further endeared her to the 
Mexican people ; and one of the very jBrst acts of the 
Congress of the nev^ Republic (November 27, 1824) de- 
creed the festival of December 12th a national holiday. 
The Virgin of Guadalupe therefore has attaching to her a 
IDolitical significance quite as important as the signifi- 
cance that attaches to her in her religious capacity. She 
is at once an embodiment of the national character and 
the defender of the nation's life — an abstract and con- 
crete divinity such as might result from infusing super- 
natural power into a mass composed of Queen Victoria 
and the British Lion. Above all, she is the divinity of 
the Indians. The festival of December 12th is cele- 
brated with enthusiasm by the Indians throughout the 
Republic ; and thousands of them each year make long 
pilgrimages that they may be present on that day at the 
Virgin's shrine. So completely is the Indian character 
of the festival recognized that the church is wholl}^ given 
up to the Indian worshippers. In it they conduct their 
celebration, unhampered by priests, in their own way : 
but whether or not there survives in their rites any trace 
of the worship of Tonantzin, "the Mother of Gods," is a 
curious question that need not be raised here. A cele- 
bration of a more orthodox sort, less original but more 
imposing, in w^hich the Archbishop and the higher 
clergy of the See take part, takes place on the 12th of 
January. Other especially Indian festivals are cele- 
brated on the 22d of November ; almost every day in 
December, but most notably on the 3d (the novenario of 
the 12th) ; and on the 12th of every month throughout 
the year. 

At a distance of about two miles and a half north from 



ENVIRONS OF MEXICO. 231 

the city (reached by horse-cars starting from in front of 
the Cathedral) is the collegiate church of Nuestra Seiiora 
de Guadalupe. The church stands at the foot of the hill, 
on the site of the fourth apparition of the Virgin to Juan 
Diego. It is a comparatively modern structure, and the 
fourth erected for the housing of the miraculous image. 
The first was built by Bishop Zumarraga, as told above, 
and about forty years later this first chapel was very con- 
siderably enlarged. It is still in use, being now the sa- 
cristy of the parish church. At the beginning of the 
seventeenth century a new and large church was erected 
upon the site occupied by the present collegiate church ; 
which, being completed at a cost of $50,000, was dedi- 
cated, and the miraculous image was placed in it, in 
November, 1622. In 1695 the present parish church 
was built, being intended as a temporary abiding-place 
for the image while a new and grander church was 
building. Work upon this latter edifice, the existing 
collegiate church, began at once, and it was completed 
and dedicated with great solemnity May 1, 1709. It is 
184 feet long by 122 feet wide, covered by a vaulted 
roof that rests upon two rows of Corinthian columns — 
by which the aisles are divided from the nave. The 
w^hole is surmounted by a dome, the lantern of which is 
125 feet above the floor. The very plain fayade is flanked 
b}' towers 110 feet high. The interior, unusually well 
lighted, is finished in white and gold. The magnificent 
high altar and tabernacle are made from designs pre- 
pared by the architect Tolsa about the year 1802 ; but 
the revolutionary troubles that began in 1810 and con- 
tinued until 1821 so delayed the progress of the work 
that the altar actually was not completed until the year 
1836. The structure is of marbles of various colors. 



232 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

joined with good effects of harmony and contrast. The 
cost of the work, together with other renovations of the 
church then made, was $381,000. The primitive cost 
was more than $800,000 — all alms-offerings — making a 
total of $1,181,000. The value of the jewels, gold and 
silver plate and other rich belongings of this church 
— nearly all of which have passed into the possession of 
the government — safely may be estimated at two mill- 
ions more. In the tabernacle, in a frame of mingled 
gold and silver, inclosed with plate-glass, is preserved 
the miraculous image. The picture, somewhat conven- 
tional in type, is good in drawing and still retains much 
strength of coloring. The material upon which it is 
painted is a coarse cloth woven of ixtli fibre. The me- 
dium cannot be determined — at least not by examination 
throuo-h the ^iass covering'. It does not seem to be dis- 
temper, water- color or oil-color, though more suggestive 
of oil-color than of either of the others ; and this fact of 
its lack of resemblance to the effects of the ordinary 
methods of painting is one of the strong practical points 
urged in favor of its miraculous origin. The picture has 
been examined twice, the glass covering being removed 
on these occasions, by Mexican painters of high standing, 
and on each occasion the method by which the picture 
was made has remained undetermined. The chancel, 
and the passage-way between the chancel and the choir, 
are inclosed by a massive silver railing set upon a base 
of pure white marble, the whole being the gift of the 
Viceroy Bucareli — who lies buried in the west aisle. The 
choir, set in the nave, after the Spanish fashion, and seri- 
ously marring the general interior effect, is a very elegant 
structure especially rich in fine caiwings in mahogany. 
There are two rows of stalls, also of richly carved ma- 



ENVIRONS OF MEXICO. 233 

hogany, still further ornamented with carvings in ebony. 
Above the stalls are basso-relievos, carved in wood, illus- 
trating the litany of the Virgin. In the sacristy are 
more fine carvings, two curious tables of Mexican onyx, 
and a number of curious and a few very good pictures. 
The best of the pictures, and one of the best pictures in 
Mexico, is a magnificent Crucifixion — hung in an atro- 
cious light on the north wall. The church became col- 
legiate * in 1749, an ample endowment for this pui'pose 
having been provided by several rich patrons. The 
chapter house, built at this period, adjoins the church 
on the north. 

Capilla del Cerrito. — This *' chapel of the little hill" 
marks the spot where Juan Diego cut the roses which 
sprang up there from the hard stone in order that the 
Bishop might be convinced. For many years the spot 
was marked only by a rude wooden cross. In the year 1660 
a little chapel was built here by Cristobal de Aguirre, who 
endowed it with the sum of $1,000 that there might be 
held here every year on the 12th of December a solemn 
service in commemoration of the Virgin's appearance. 
The present chapel was built at the beginning of the 
eighteenth century by the Presbitero Don Juan de Mon- 
tufar, who built also the stairway and path leading up 
the hill. On the line of this stairway, near the top of the 
hill, is built in stone the semblance of a ship's mast and 
sails. The date at which this curious structure was 
erected is unknown, but there seems no reason for doubt- 
ing that the story told of it is true : That certain mari- 
ners, being in dire straits at sea, their ship tempest-tost 

* A collegiate church is a church in which, while not the seat 
of an archbishop's or bishop's see, the organization is the same as 
that of a cathedral. 



234 MEXICAJS" GUIDE. 

and rudderless, vowed that should the Virgin of Guada- 
lupe save them they would bring their ship's mast to her 
shrine and set it up there as a perpetual memorial of her 
protecting power ; that immediately their ship came 
safely to Vera Cruz, and that the mariners loyally fulfilled 
their vow, carrying the mast with its yards upon their 
shoulders from Vera Cruz to the capital and thence to 
this place, where they set it up and built around it for 
protection from the weather the covering of stone. And 
there the mast is, even until this day. Lower down the 
hill, on its western side, is a curious little grotto, the work 
of one of the servitors of the church, most ingeniously 
lined with a mosaic made of broken china-ware — very 
well worth the real that the visitor is expected to pay for 
the privilege of seeing it. 

Capilla del Pocito. — The *' chapel of the well " is a very 
elegant little structure, roofed with a dome of enamelled 
tiles, that covers the miraculous spring that gushed forth 
from beneath the Virgin's feet. The well is in the ante- 
room to the chapel proper, and is surrounded and covered 
by a grating of wrought iron. In the chapel is a hand- 
somely carved pulpit, the support of which is an image 
of Juan Diego. The gracious little building was com- 
pleted in the year 1791, at a cost of $50,000. Its archi- 
tect was Don Francisco Guerrero y Torres, whose services 
were given to the church. Directly opposite the door 
of the chapel, just at the beginning of the ascent of the 
hill, is a pillar, crowned with a figure of the Virgin, that 
marks the precise spot of the first of the miraculous ap- 
paritions. 

Adjoining the CoUegiate church on the east is the 
church and ex-convent of Santa Coleta, a Capuchin foun- 
dation, popularly known as the Capuchinas de Nuestra 



ENVIRONS OF MEXICO. 235 

Seiiora de Guadalupe. Two unsuccessful attempts, in 
1575 and 1707, were made to found a convent near the 
sanctuary. The third attempt, in 1779, was successful. 
In that year a Capuchin nun, Sor Maria Ana de San Juan 
Nepomuceno, was moved in her spirit to make yet one 
more effort to establish here a house of religious ; and 
to this end she personally petitioned the Archbishop Nu- 
iiez Haro y Peralta, though telling him that all the for- 
tune at her command for this work was the sum of two 
reales ! Pursuing her project vigorously, she went over 
seas to Spain and applied to the king for aid ; and the 
king, much impressed by her devotion, granted her 
prayer. A royal order issued, July 3, 1780, permitting 
the convent to be erected ; and with this order Sor Maria 
came again to Mexico joyfully. Work began at once, 
money being given in great abundance, and the church 
and convent were completed, at a cost of $212,328, Au- 
gust 30, 1787. On the 13th of the ensuing October, five 
Capuchinas, of whom one was the faithful Sor Maria, took 
possession of the new building. The convent was closed 
by the operation of the laws of the Reform. In the con- 
vent church there is usually to be found, as in Mexican 
churches generally, a little old woman who sits near the 
entrance and sells holy images ; and with her there is usu- 
ally a decorous and rather clerical-looking black cat. A 
few words in praise of this staid animal, and the invest- 
ment of a couple of reales in holy images, will so dispose 
this old woman to friendliness that she will permit the 
visitor to pass through the church to the lower floor of 
the convent. In the inner patio the cells once belonging 
to the nuns may be seen : windowless vaults six feet 
square with a stone bench for a bed — for of all the rules 
that of the Capuchinas was the most severe. 



236 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

By a royal order of 1748, the village of Guadalupe 
was made a town ; and by the act of Congress of Febru- 
ary 12, 1828, the town became the City of Guadalupe- 
Hidalgo. The present " city " has a population of about 
3,000 souls. In front of the parish church is a very 
pretty little public garden, that was opened in 1866. 
The town is memorable poHtically as being the scene of 
the climax of the war, between the United States and 
Mexico : the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed 
here February 2, 1818. 

ChapultepeCy the Presidential residence, and the 
National IVIilitary Academy, a little more than two miles 
southwest of the city. (The Tacubaya and San Angel 
lines of horse cars, from the west side of the Plaza Mayor, 
pass close by the park gates.) The hill of Chapultepec 
is one of the several isolated rocks which protrude above 
the swampy soil of the valley. Formerly, being sur- 
rounded by a marsh, it was occupied by the founders of 
Tenochtitlan before making their still more secure city 
in the middle of the lake. At its eastern foot is a large 
spring, whence a portion of the city's water-supply is 
di'awn, and around its base gTOw many ancient ahue- 
huetes — a species of cypress. The grove of these huge 
and ancient moss-draped trees — dating from before the 
Conquest — forming the park at the base of the hill on 
the west, is one of the most impressive sights of Mexico. 
Owing to its strong defensive position and its abundant 
supply of water the hill was a point coveted by the var- 
ious tribes settled in its vicinity. The people of Tenoch- 
titlan, when firmly estabUshed in their lake city, repos- 
sessed themselves of it ; built a connecting causeway, 
and on this an aqueduct — precisely over the line occu- 
pied by the aqueduct now existing. While mentioning 



EN^aRONS OF MEXICO. 237 

this fact (also recorded by Vetancurt and contemporary 
chroniclers) Mr. Bandolier affirms positively that the hill 
" never was used as a ' summer resort ' for the chiefs, or 
a 'royal villa/ as has been imagined." It was used, 
however, to some extent as a burial place, and a few of 
the Mexican chiefs had their effigies carved upon its 
rocky base. Reference is made to these carvings by 
Torquemada ; Gama refers to them as in existence at 
the close of the last century ; and Seilor Orozco y Berra 
mentions having seen their remains — adding that when 
looking for them subsequently he was unable to find 
them. ]Mi'. Bandelier was assured in Mexico that the 
carvings had disappeared. He writes : " Nevertheless. I 
found on March 6, 1881, what clearly appears to be the 
remainder of the effigy of Ahuitzotl, the last Monte- 
zuma's predecessor in the command of the Nahuatl con- 
federacy. It was carved in half relief, and was originally 
a full-length figure of a man, life-size, stretched out on a 
ledge of natural rock sloping at an inclination of nearly 
fifty-five degrees. Only the lower limbs are presented. 
The top and the whole body evidently have been blown 
off [the holes drilled for blasting are plainly visible] 
nothing remains of them but these fragments. The feet 
also are mutilated ; they appear to have stood on an im- 
perfectly carved moulding. But the principal features 
of the monument are the figure of 2nd acatl, or * cane ' 
(still visible to the right of what was once the head), and 
beneath it the picture of a water-rat. Both are suffi- 
ciently distinct. The former is a date, and corresponds 
to 1507 of our era ; the latter is a 7mme, and reads 
' Ahuit Zotl ' in the native Mexican language." This very 
interesting fragment is on the eastern base of the hill, a 
short distance northwest of the drive leading past the 



238 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

battle monument, and a few feet to the left of the drive 
leading* around the base of the hill to the pai'k. As it is 
concealed by vines and underbmsh it must be looked 
for cai'ef Lilly. 

In the yeai* 17S3 the Viceroy Don Matias de Galvez 
obtained permission from the King* of Spain *'to repair 
and put in order the palace of Chapultepec," thus im- 
plying that before that date an edifice of considerable 
proportions had crowned the hill. In this case, how- 
ever, repair meant reconstruction. The death of the 
Viceroy delayed for a short time the execution of the 
work ; but it was pushed forward so rapidly by his son, 
Don Bernai'do de G:ilvez, who also was his successor in 
the viceroyalty, that the new palace was completed in 
1785, at a cost of upwai'd of $300,000. Very consider- 
able additions to the building have been made both in 
Viceroyal and Eepublican times, and fiu'ther additions 
were made to it durinir the brief rei<:*n of Maximilian — 
who made it his residence. Diu-ing the recent Pi*esi- 
dency of Genei*al Gonzalez plans were perfected for 
making this the Pi*esidential residence ; in pursuance of 
which it is expected that President Diaz will make his 
home here during the remainder of his official term. 
The palace is such in fact as well as in name, an im- 
mense buildincf, in which are lar^re halls and iralleries 
handsomely decorated, and around which ai*e marble- 
paved teiTaces commanding one of the most magnificent 
^*iews in the world : the beautiful valley of Mexico, with 
its city and kikes in the foreground, and for background, 
in the east, tlie snow-capped volcanoes — tinged at even- 
ing with ruddy reflections and overhung by gi'eat masses 
of crimsoned clouds. Upon the ten-aces are flower- 
gai'deus, imd at the eastern base of the hill — reached by 



ENVIRONS OF MEXICO. 239 

a winding, terraced drive — is a larger flower garden in 
which is a Httle artificial lake. Inclosing the entire 
base of the hill is a strip of woodland that on the western 
front broadens ont into the noble park. 

The National ^lilitary College occupies a large build- 
ing on the lower terrace of the Palace. The system of 
training pursued is similar to that of AVest Point. 
About 325 cadets attend the Colleire. Admission to the 
College and to the Palace is obtained by a card granted 
on application to the Minister of "War. 

The hill of Chapultepec was taken by storm by the 
American troops under General Pillow, after a day's 
bombardment, early on the morning of September 13th, 
184:1 ; the gallant defender of the position. General 
Nicolas Bravo, being taken prisoner. The cadets of the 
Military College took pai't in the defence with gi-eat hero- 
ism, and many of these brave lads fell. A handsome 
monument in memory of their courage and patriotism 
was erected in the garden at the eastern base of the hill 
in the year 1880. 

Moil no del Rey (reached by the branch tramway to 
Dolores, starting from a point on the Tacubaya tramway 
just south of Chapultepec). This point was carried, 
together with the Casa Mata, by General Worth — fight- 
ing against great odds and sustaining a heavy loss — on 
the morning of September 8, 1847. Lieutenant Grant 
was one of the first to enter the Mill. In his recently 
published " Memoirs " he expresses the opinion that 
both Chapultepec and Molino del Rey were unnecessary 
battles, as the two positions could have been turned ; 
though in regai'd to Scott's generalship as a whole he 
speaks in high praise. The war generally he chai-acter- 
izes as " unholy" ; " one of the most unjust ever waged 



*?40 MEXICAN OriBE. 

bv a sti-ongrer apiinst a weaker nation " : an opinion in 
whioh every fair-minded Ainerioivu must coneui'. 

Tacubaya ^^reaelied bv hoi*se cars starting from the 
west side of the Plaza Mayor ; also by the horse car 
line to St\n Angel, starting fivm the same point). Primi- 
tively known as Atlaeoloayiui |^" place in the bend of the 
brook "), the suburb of Tacuba^-a de los Miirtires, with 
a population of nearly 8,000 souls, is the most beau- 
tiful town in the valley. Ir is built upon a hiU-side, 
sloping to the northwest, at a distance of about three 
miles southwest of the city. The town, in its present 
form, is compiii\tively modern, although from the 
earhest times a sm^ill A-illage existed here ; and the pro- 
ject seriously Wi\s entertiiined, after the great inundation 
of lG2i>-o4:, of making this the site of the City of Mexico 
— the lapse of which project, on sanitiuy givunds, is to 
be much deplored. There is a parish church, an ex- 
monastery some time the property of the Dominicans, 
the handsome church of San Diego and several small 
chapels ; also a ^ small Alameda, and a pretty garden in 
the Plaza de Cartagena. In the ex-palace of the Arch- 
bishop (built by the Archbishop :viid Viceroy Yizarron 
in 1737) is housed, the National Astronomic;\l Observa- 
tory ; and in this building at one time was housed the 
Mihtary College now at Chapultepec, The chief chivrm 
of Tacubaya is found in its numerous very beautiful 
pri v:\te gardens — hueriaSy lai*ge inclosures, halt garden, 
half pirk, belonging to rich citizens of Mexico, who 
come here for recreation and rest The more notable 
of these (to which admission may be obttuned by a 
card from their several owners^ are the huertas of the 
famihes R^rron. Esccmdon, Mier y Cells and Barvlet, 
In the western p:vrt of the town, reached by a branch 



ENVIU0N8 OF MEXICO. 241 

line of second class cars, is tlio arhol hcnito, " tlio blessed 
tree." Lej^end says thai a lon*^ wliilo ajjfo, one i'li^rccly 
hot day of suinincr, a holy priest paused beneath (his 
tree and in its cool shade became resled and refreshed. 
Therefore, as ho went away, comforted, ho turned and 
blessed the tree and bade it evermore bo j^reen : and 
straightway tliero gushed out from amon«^ its roots ft 
most sweet and copious spring, Tliosc^ who doubt this 
legend must reconcile with their doubt the faints that 
the tree always is green, and that the sweet spring con- 
tinues to flow. 

Mixcoac (on the line of the San Angel trainway, ft 
mile or so south of Tacubaya) is a charming little town 
of low adobe houses built along narrow lanes Avhich wan- 
der among gardens. It is a manufacturing town, and 
its manufactures are a trifle incongruous : bricks and 
flowers. There is a very tolerable tiuoli here, the Cas- 
taneda, at which brc^akfast may be had. 

San Angel (reached by horse-cars from the west side 
of the Plaza Mayor ; also by the Tlalpam liorse-cars to 
San Mateo, and thence to San Angel by a cross-country 
horse-car lino. A very pleasant expedition may be made 
by going by one of these routes and returning by tlio 
other. The cross-country line passes through the towns 
of Coyoacan and Churubusco, which see below). This 
pretty little town, live or six miles south of Mexico, is 
built upon a hill-side in the midst of orchards and gar- 
dens ; and in the growing time it is a cloud of blossoms 
and green leaves. Many pleasure houses {rama de recrco) 
are here, where city-folk come for ease in the hot months ; 
but there is nothing here to compare with the perfectly 
ordered gardens of Tacubaya. In point of fact, San An- 
gel has somewhat outlived its usefulness and is rather 
IG 



242 XEXICAIS^ GUIDE. 

down-at-lieel — and therefore it is a very delightful place 
indeed. Its most attractive feature is the picturesque 
and now deserted Carmehte monastery of Xuestra Seiiora 
del Carmen, with its fine church crowned by exceed- 
ingly beautiful tiled domes. This monastery possesses a 
very respectable age. In the year 1613, Don Fehpe de 
Guzman, a pious cacique of Chimalistdc, in fulfilment of 
his father's testament, gave up to the Carmelite order a 
huerta of considerable size. Here the CarmeHtes built a 
little hospice. Don Felipe de Guzman presently died ; 
and a little later died also his widow, childless. By her 
will the entire estate of which she died possessed passed 
to the C:u'mehte fathers : and by these it was devoted 
to the buildinir of the existini? monasterv and church. 
The plans for these buildings were prepared by the cele- 
brated architect Fray Andres de San Miguel, a lay brother 
of the Carmelite order, and at that time held to be the 
fii'st architect of Xew Spain. That this reputatioii was 
well merited is shown bv the beautv of his stiU existini]: 
work. The building was begun June 20, 1615, and was 
pushed with so much vigor that the church and convent 
were finished within two years. The church was dedi- 
cated to San Augelo Miii-tir, whence came the name of 
the little to^vn that presently grew up ai'ound it. Later, 
in 1633, another rich patroness appeai-ing, Doiia Ana 
Aguilar y Nino, the dedication of the church was changed 
at her request to Santa Ana. The handsome chapel, dedi- 
cated to Jesus Xazareno, known as the Senor de Con- 
treras, was built at the end of the last century by Fray 
Juan de Santa Maria. The church was thorousfhlv re- 
paired in 1857. It is a large and handsome building 
containing a number of images much reverenced. The 
monastery is a most fascinatiag place even in its ruin — 



ENVIRONS OF MEXICO. 243 

for a considerable portion of it has been razed and what 
remains is fulling into decay. In its rear, sloping to the 
south and east, is a gai'den once kept triml}' but now a 
wilderness of fruit trees and shrubs and flowers in which 
are old water tanks and a great fish pond — from which 
the fish long since have vanished ; and from the terrace 
overhanging the garden, ju^t out from the refectory, one 
looks eastward over miles of orchards and gardens — 
dotted here and there with low square houses, and here and 
there with little church towers, and above all these the 
great tower of the church at Coyoacan — to the far horizon 
where the snow-capped mountains rise against the blue 
sky. In the refectory there are remnants of some very 
tolerable frescoes ; and in the cloister, just off the church 
yard, are others still more ruinous. Among these latter, 
cleansed from the overlying white-wash by some loving 
hand, is a wonderfully fine head of Christ. 

Coyoacan (reached most directly by the Tlalpam 
tramway, starting from the south side of the Plaza Mayor, 
to San Mateo, and there changing to the car for San An- 
gel that passes through Coyoacan. It may be reached 
also by the tramway to San Angel, and thence by the car 
to San Mateo). This very picturesque town is older than 
the City of Mexico. After the Conquest (August 17, 
1521) Cortes established in Coyoacan the seat of govern- 
ment, and from here directed the laying out of the pres- 
ent City of Mexico. Immediately after taking up his 
abode here he gave a banquet to his captains in honor of 
the victory which they had achieved ; and as about this 
time there arrived at Vera Cruz a ship having a consider- 
able quantity of wine aboard the Conquerors were able 
to celebrate their victories right royally. So scandalous, 
indeed, was this feast, that the worthy Fray Bartolome 



244 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

de Olmedo, chaplain to Cortes, felt constrained to order 
the whole company to do penance, and on the ensuing 
Sunday preached a most vigorous sermon at them. A 
large and handsome house was built here, in which Cortes, 
with La Marina, dwelt contentedly while the building of 
the city went on. This house still may be seen, at the 
northern side of the little plaza. A part of it is a jail and 
the remainder is devoted to the officers of the town gov- 
ernment. Over the main doorway, blurred by many coats 
of white-wash, are graven the arms of the Conqueror. 
Near to this is another house in which Cortes is said to 
have dwelt, and a well is pointed out in the garden in 
which he is said to have drowned his wife. But as his wife, 
at this time, was not in Mexico, and as he certainly did not 
drown La Marina, the story seems to be lacking in some 
essential elements of probability. Many legends of Cortes 
survive hereabouts, and if the visitor is lucky enough to 
come across a story-telling old man or old woman a great 
deal of very delightful and quite impossible history may 
be learned in a comparatively short time. South of the 
plaza, across the highway, is the large and imposing 
church of San Juan Bautista which, together with the 
Dominican monastery connected with it, was founded by 
the eminent Fray Domingo de Vetanzos, probably about 
the year 1530. The present church — as may be read in 
the graving upon its fa9ade— was built in 1583. In the 
church-yard is a stone cross set up on a little mound that 
tradition declares was a place of worship in primitive 
times : and tradition further declares that the cross was 
placed here by Cortes. 

The Ped regal (stony place) lies south of San Angel 
and Coyoacan. The portion of it directly south of the 
latter town is exceedingly picturesque, the rocky, uneven 



ENYIKONS OF MEXICO. 245 

ground being covered with a lavish growth of cactus and 
stunted trees, and luxuriant bushes and trailing vines. 
Narrow footways, usually bordered by low stone walls, 
ramify in every direction, passing curious little stone 
houses, and garden patches, and winding along the edges 
of ragged gulches and by the sides of clear streams. In 
the midst of this maze is the very picturesque chapel of 
the Nino Jesus, and the painfully trim-looking chapel of 
the Concepcion. The shortest way into this charming 
wilderness is along the road that runs southward in front 
of the chui'ch-yard of San Juan Bautista in Coyoacan, 
and thence bearing to the left from a point a little beyond 
the cross-road where is set up a pretty cross of stone. By 
bearing to the right a scarcely less delightful walk may 
be faken among the gardens and adobe houses of an In- 
dian town. 

Churubusco (reached by the Tlalpam tramway, start- 
ing from the south side of the Plaza Mayor, to San Mateo, 
and thence — a distance of half a mile — on foot or by the 
tramway leading to San Angel). There is no town here, 
only a few scattered little houses ; the very ancient church 
of San Mateo, once the parish church, but now closed and 
falling into decay ; and the beautiful church and ex-mon- 
astery of Santa Maria de los Angeles. In primitive times 
there was here a very important town, Huitzilopochco, 
that grew up around the temple of the god Huitzilopoch- 
tli — from the first of which trying names, by a pardonable 
corruption, that of Churubusco was derived. In this 
temple the god Huitzilopochtli, who in his life was a most 
famous warrior, was worshipped. " This place," says the 
delightful chi'onicler Baltasar Medina, " was the dwelling 
and diabolical habitation of infernal spirits that with fear- 
ful noises and bowlings disturbed all the region round 



246 MEXICAiq- GUIDE. 

about where the idol had usurped the worship of the true 
God. The holy monks built here in honor of the true 
God, who crushes the serpent's head in the waters, a tem- 
ple of the faithful, giving to it the name of Santa Maria 
de los Angeles, because where once had flourished the sin 
of idolatry now superabounds the grace and glory of this 
Lady. To this most honorable and efficacious name was 
added that of San Antonio Abad, whose stone image was 
placed beside the church door ; for against the persecu- 
tion of the demons, who like hungry lions haunted this 
place the altar of their worship among the heathen, rag- 
ing against the faithful now that their Dagon had fallen, 
the Christians invoked the protection of this saintly abbot, 
who, among his many gifts and privileges of grace, had 
empire and dominion against the assaults of Lucifer." 
Upon the site of this primitive church the present beauti- 
ful church and monastery were built, being completed 
May 2, 1678. The patron and patroness of the new church 
and monastery were Don Diego del Castillo, citizen of 
Mexico, native of the City of Grenada, merchant of silver, 
and Doiia Helena de la Cruz, his wife. The kneeling effi- 
gies of this pious gentleman and his wife, carved in wood 
and painted, still are preserved in the sacristy of the church 
— a most seemly couple, very quaint in their picturesque 
garments of the fashion of two hundred years ago. Al- 
though sadly fallen into decay, and although a portion of 
the monastery has been taken possession of by the gov- 
ernment for a military hospital, this church and monas- 
tery are among the most beautiful of the foundations of 
the religious orders in or near the capitol. Especially 
beautiful is the lavish decoration in glazed tiles : the little 
chapel of San Antonio Abad beside the church door — 
now bereft of the image of the demon-daunting saint 



ENVIRONS OF MEXICO. 247 

and beginning to drop to pieces — is covered with tiles 
from its base to the pinnacle of its dome ; there is a 
dado of tiles in the lovely cloister ; once a dado of tiles 
ran around the whole of the large refectory — now a 
ruin ; the Abbot's bath — which can be seen now only 
from the roof, or by climbing up a ladder placed against 
the window of the main stair- way — is a gem of tile-work ; 
the choir, still perfect, is a mosaic of tiles arranged in ex- 
quisite taste. The church contains a quaint old organ 
inclosed in a richly carved wooden case ; three well carved 
wooden busts of saints — probably by the artist who made 
the portraits of Don Diego and his worthy wife, and 
a fine painting of the Assumption of the Virgin. In the 
sacristy there are several pictures of no especial artis- 
tic value, but exceedingly curious. By way of finishing 
touch, in the midst of the sunny patio that the cloister 
surrounds, there wells up into an antique stone basin a 
wonderfully clear spring. No more interesting expedition 
out of Mexico can be made than to this beautiful place. 

In the plaza in front of the ex-monastery, now a hos- 
pital, is a monument commemorating the battle fought 
here with the Americans August 20, 1847. The monas- 
tery was very gallantly defended by General Pedro 
Maria Anaya against the assault of Generals Worth, 
Smith, and Twi^G^s. After the work had been carried 
Worth asked Anaya if among the surrendered material 
of war there was any ammunition, to which the brave 
Mexican made the historic answer : " Had I any ammu- 
nition you would not be here ! " 

TIalpam (reached by horse-cars starting from the 
south side of the Plaza Mayor), formerly known as San 
Agustin de las Cuevas. This flourishing little town of 
about 7,000 inhabitants lies fourteen miles south of 



248 MEXICA]^ GUIDE. 

Mexico. There are many flower and fruit gardens 
hereabouts for the supply of the city markets. In and 
near the town are important factories of cotton, and 
woollen cloth, and paper. In former times, at Whitsun- 
tide, a great gambling fete was held at San Agustin de 
las Cuevas to which all the wealth and fashion, and all 
the rascality and cut-throatism, of the capital resorted in 
a manner most amicably democratic. So outrageous did 
this festival become that about thirty years ago it was 
definitely suppressed. In 1794 the Viceroy Eevillagi- 
gedo greatly improved the town, straightening and pav- 
ing its streets and giving it an adequate supply of water. 
At one time it was the capital of the State of Mexico. 

Popotia, " the place of the brooms " (reached by the 
Tacuba line of horse cars, starting from the western side 
of the Plaza Mayor). The only point of interest here, 
but that a point of very great interest, is the arhol de la 
noche triste, the ' Tree of the Dismal Night,' beneath 
which Cortes sat him down and wept on the night of the 
terrible retreat from Mexico, July 1, 1520. The tree, an 
ahuehuete (properly ahuehuetl), identical in kind with 
those in the park of Chapultepec, flourished in perfect 
health until a few years ago when a fire was kindled be- 
neath it that seriously burned its trunk. Since then, 
several of the upper branches have died. It is now pro- 
tected by a high iron railing, and by a most zealous 
policeman. Eelic-hunters are warned that this is not a 
good subject for the practice of their peculiar Hne of 
vulgar thievery. In February, 1885, some alleged ladies 
and gentlemen of American extraction, who had broken 
twigs from the tree, were most justly arrested and most 
righteously fined. Beside the tree stands the curious 
old church of San Esteban. 



ENVIRONS OF MEXICO. 249 

Tacuba, a corrupted form of Tlacopan (reached by 
horse-cars starting from the west side of the Plaza 
Mayor). In primitive times this was an important town. 
Here reigned in succession, between the years 1430 and 
1525, Totoquiyauhtzin I., Chimalpopoca, Totoquiyauht- 
zin II., and Tetlepanquetzaltzin — this last named mon- 
arch being hanged by order of Cortes in 1525. The 
town has about 2,000 inhabitants. There is here a hand- 
some church surrounded by a wall of inverted arches. 
Near the church is the residence of the present Arch- 
bishop of Mexico, Seiior Dr. Don Pelagio Antonio de 
Labastida y Davalos. Especially impressive services 
are held in Tacuba during Holy "Week. 

Atzcapotzaico — " the ant-hill ; " so named in primitive 
times because of its very numerous inhabitants (reached by 
horse-cars starting from the west side of the Plaza Maj^or 
and running through Popotla and Tacuba). The founda- 
tion of the Aztec kingdom conquered by Cortes was laid 
in 1428, when the kings of Tenochtitlan and Texcoco 
(Chichimecs) overcame and killed the cruel king of Atzca- 
potzaico, Maxtla. As the result of this victory the legiti- 
mate ruler of the Chichimecs, the poet-king Netzahual- 
coyotl, was re-established upon the throne that the father 
of Maxtla had usurped and that the son had retained ; and 
the king of Tenochtitlan received the territory pertaining 
to the kingdom of Atzcapotzaico — out of a portion of 
which he erected the small kingdom of Tlacopan (Tacuba : 
see above).* The present town of Atzcajootzalco numbers 
about 1,500 inhabitants, who are largely engaged in the 
manufacture of pottery. There is also here an important 

* The rather absurd terms "king," *' kingdom," and "throne," 
are used here, and elsewhere, in deference to the custom uni- 
formly observed by the Spanish chroniclers. 



250 MEXICAN (;UIDE. 

niamifaciory of textiles. Upon tlio site of tlio great tem- 
ple of primitive times stiinds the cliurcli iiud now partly 
ruined monastery erected by the Dominicans in 1505. 
The present cliurcli was completed October 8, 1702. 
Upon the side of the tower facing the plaza, near the top 
of its first story, is graven the image of an ant — symboli- 
cal of the name of the town and of the great population 
that it once had. The church is a large and handsome 
building with a fine tower and two beautiful domes ; and 
the monastery, even the more because of its ruinous 
state, is wonderfully picturesque. 

Around Atzcapotzalco linger many delightful legends, 
ihe moat notable of which is a version of the Malincho 
myth that in one form or another crops out all over 
Mexico. Following eastward for nearly a mile the street 
at the back of the monastery, the legend-lover will come 
to Zancojiinca, where is a pond of sweet water beside 
which is a ruined aqueduct. In the pond, as in a palace 
of crystal, lives for half of each day the Malinche — the 
other half of hen day being spent in the spring of Cha- 
pultepec. But whereas at Chapultepcc she is a benign 
spirit, here she is a spirit of much malignity. AVith a 
song of inlinite sweetness she lures to the pond unwary 
passers-by, and once beside the pond her extraordinary 
beauty completes the unhappy conquest that her wickedly 
sweet voice has begun. It is most dangerous to pass near 
tins place in the very early morning or in the evening, 
for at these times her syren-song is heard. Whoever 
hears this song, unless he woidd disappear forever from 
among the living, must close his ears and with all possi- 
ble speed hasten far away. Should he not take these 
heroic measures for self-preservation, he will feel a soft 
languor creeping over him, dulling his senses yet tilling 



ENVniONS OF MEXICO. 251 

him with an ineffable delight ; slowly but irresistibly ho 
will bo drawn toward the pond, and when ho reaches it 
and there sees beckoning to him the beautiful Midinche 
he surely will cast himself into its clear dtipths and never 
more be known among men. The old Indian who will 
tell this story possibly will add, telling it close in the car 
of his listener in manner most confidential, that in the 
depths of this pond lio hidden tho treasures concealed 
by Guatimotzin ; the hiding place of which, even under 
the cruel torture to which Cortes subjected him, ho re- 
fused to reveal. Westward from the monastery, through 
a winding lano between bushy hedges, is reached an open 
space in the midst of which is a grove composed of livo 
great ahuehuetes. These trees, the old Indiun will af- 
firm, once were a part of a wonderful enchantment. In 
ancient times there was beneath and among their roots 
a spring that constantly welled up, but that never over- 
flowed ; and whosoever drank of this spring at once and 
forever disappeared. One day there came out from the 
church a procession of holy fathers carrying with them 
the image of the Blessed Virgin ; and these passed sing- 
ing along the road until they came to the spring. Be- 
side it they set up an altar, on which the Virgin was ; 
and a preacher preached against the spring's wickedness ; 
and then all tho multitudo cast into it stones and earth 
until it was filled up and overlaid and hidden ; and over 
where it had been was built an altar to tho Virgin within 
a chapel, that remained there until at last it dropped 
down in little pieces because it had become so very old. 
So this evil spring was overcome and made to vanish 
away. But even now he who will enter the grove of 
ahuehuetes and will laj' his ear close to tho earth will hear 
the spring still murmuring and singing its enchantments 



252 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

beneath the gi'oimd. And its memory still lives In the 
proverb, cited when any one suddenly and mysteriously 
disappears : Uste bebio del agua de los ahuehuetes. 

La Pled ad (reached by horse-car from the Plaza 
Mayor). At the southern extremity of the Cakada de 
la Piedad, less than a mile from the Garita de Belen, are 
the church and ex-monastery of Nuestra Seilora de la 
Piedad, a Dominican foundation of 1652. About the 
middle of the seventeenth century there was in Eome a 
monk of the order of Santo Domingo who had been 
chai'ged by the prelate of the monastery to which he be- 
longed in Mexico to have painted by the best artist then 
in Eome a picture of the Virgin with the dead Christ. 
But when the monk, about to depart for Mexico, asked 
for the picture, the artist had finished only its outline 
drawino-. Nevertheless, the monk took this with him 
and, journeying through Spain to the seaboard, took 
ship for Mexico. And it fell out that as he and his 
companions sailed westward a dreadful tempest arose, so 
that there seemed no doubt but that the ship would be 
overwhelmed by the sea. In this extremity they made 
a solemn vow to the Virgin that in return for her pro- 
tection they would build for her in Mexico a temple in 
which the painting of her that they carried with them 
should be enshi'ined. And the Virgin heard their 
prayer and they all were saved. Therefore they col- 
lected alms, and so built the church of La Piedad. And 
yet another miracle happened, for when the pictm-e that 
the monk had brought from Eome was opened in Mexico, 
behold ! it was not the mere outline that he had taken 
from the Eoman artist, but a very beautiful picture fin- 
ished in its every part ! And the miraculous picture 
hangs over the main altar of the church of La Piedad, 



SHOET EXCURSIONS FROM MEXICO. 253 

and is greatly venerated, even until this present day. 
The church was dedicated February 2, 1652. In addi- 
tion to the miraculous picture are several notable paint- 
ings by the Mexican artists Cabrera and Velasquez, and a 
curious picture representing the storm at sea that was 
stilled by the Virgin's intervention. 



XIL SHORT EXCURSIONS FROM MEXICO. 

The Viga Canal (reached by horse-cars passing 
south along the eastern side of the Plaza Mayor). A 
pasear by boat on the Viga can be made an affair of a 
couple of hours — to the chinampas at Santa Anita and 
return ; of a day — to Mexicalcingo and return, stopping 
at the intermediate villages of Santa Anita, Ixtacalco, 
and Tetepilco ; or even of two days — through the whole 
length of the canal and across the western end of 
Lake Xochimilco to the town of the same name, stop- 
ping there all night and returning on the following day. 
The one day expedition certainly should be taken. 
There are no fixed prices for the boats, and the begin- 
ning of the cruise is almost a personal combat with a 
crowd of boatmen as to which boat shall be taken and 
what amount shall be paid for its use. For a party of 
four, or less, a boat can be had for all d:iy for $1.50 — 
sometimes even for $1. But to get down to bottom fig- 
ures a certain amount of diplomacy and a great deal of 
patience are required. By playing the men against each 
other, and by going through the form of abandoning the 
expedition in disgust, reasonable terms may be obtained. 
The boats in use are flat-bottomed affairs, twelve or fif- 



254 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

teen feet long and about four feet wide, roofed except at 
bow and stern, and with loose curtains at the sides, 
benches running fore and aft — a species of barbaric 
gondola. They are propelled by a pole, that the boat- 
man operates in the bow. Almost immediately after 
getting under way the boat passes through the Gaiita 
de la Viga, where boats bringing merchandise of any 
sort to the city are halted for the receipt of the city tax. 
Outside of the garita a line of boats loaded with fire- 
wood usually is found ; for these great boats cannot pass 
through the narrow way left open under the stone 
arches. The first town reached is Santa Anita, a Mex- 
ican version of Coney Island. To this pretty place the 
lower and middle classes resort in shoals on Sunday 
and feast-day afternoons. It is a little town of straw- 
thatched houses, nearly every one of which is a shop or 
a restaurant (and many of them drinking places also), 
and everywhere there is a pervading smell of cooked 
tamales. There are swings, and places wherein lively 
games are played, and flower-selling places — where men 
and women buy garlands of brillia.nt-hued poppies 
wherewith to crown each other ; and everywhere is a 
crowd made up of flower-cro\Mied people, genuinely 
merry and light of heart. Surrounding the town are 
the ckinampas, the floating gardens that once really 
did float, but that now are little patches of garden 
ground separated by naiTow canals. Here are grown 
flowers and vegetables for the city market, and for sale 
at home on Sundays and feast-days — where the popular 
vegetables, eaten without other sauce than liking, are 
huge radishes and lettuce. The church of Santa Anita 
is a quaint old building with a fine tower. At Ixtacal- 
co, the next town on the line of the canal, ai-e more 



SHORT EXCURSIONS FROM MEXICO. 255 

chinampas, less gayety, a small market and a very pre- 
sentable old church, dedicated to San Matias — a Fran- 
ciscan foundation of more than three hundred years ago. 
In front of the church is a little plaza with a fountain of 
sweet water in its midst ; and away from the plaza, along 
the lane that is marked by a palm-tree at its beginning, 
is a small, curious building that once was the chapel of 
San Antonio. It is used as a dwelling now, and right in 
among its numerous inhabitants is the remnant of what 
seems to have been a most gallant image of Santiago — 
now galloping to defend the faith on a headless horse ! 
Mexicalcingo, about seven miles south of the city, was a 
place of some importance before the Conquest, but now 
is an insignificant little town of less than three hundred 
inhabitants. A small monastery, and the church of San 
Marco, were founded here by the Franciscans at a very 
early period ; and in Vetancurt's time, two centuries 
ago, the parish numbered upward of 1,500 souls. The 
monastery still exists, in a semi-ruinous condition, while 
the comparatively large church — built on the site of the 
primitive structure — is in tolerably good repair. It 
is rather a bleak-looking edifice. The road from Mexico 
to Ixtapalapan crosses the canal at this point, and a very 
picturesque bit is had in the juxtaposition of this bridge 
and a rambling adobe house shaded by a row of great 
old trees growing along the water's edge. This is a 
good place to tie up and have breakfast (provision for 
which must be carried along) in a leisurely fashion, pre- 
paratory to starting on the return trip : and benevolent 
people will give a loaf of white bread to the nice old 
woman who lives in the northern end of the rambling 
house for the use and benefit of her cat : for the cat has 
an inordinate craving for white bread that rarely is sat- 



256 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

isfied. On a Sunday or feast-day afternoon, the return 
trip, especially from Santa Anita to the city, is one of 
the memorable sights of Mexico. The canal is crowded 
thickly with boats of all sorts and sizes, and the boats 
are crowded with cj'arlanded merry-makers — tinkling" 
guitars, singing, and on the larger boats even dimcing. 
At this time, too, a wonderfully wizened and shocking- 
looking old beggar, an institution of the canal, paddles 
about vigorously in his canoe and reaps a very respect- 
able harvest of alms ; and the huge passenger boats for 
Xochimilco and Chalco are starting on the cruise that 
will not end until the morning of the ensuing day. The 
fact should be added that, strictly speaking, the Yiga 
canal is not a canal at all, but a navigable sluice through 
which the waters of the lakes Xochimilco and Chalco 
discharge into the lower level of Tescoco. It is possible 
that the name Yiga is derived from the wooden bridges 
of vigas (beams) which once spanned the canal. 

The Desierto (about fifteen miles southwest of the city, 
reached on horseback). That very crabbed chronicler, 
Thomas Gage, an English monk of the Dominican order 
who was smuggled into Mexico about the middle of the 
seventeenth century, thus describes, in his ''New Sur- 
vey of the West ludias," the Desierto in its palmy days : 
" Northwest- ward three leagues from Blexico is the 
pleasantest place of all that are about Mexico, called La 
Soledad, and by others el desierto, the solitary or desert 
place and wildernesse. Were all wildernesses like it, to 
live in a wildernesse would be better than to live in a City. 
This hath been a device of poor Fryers named discalced, 
or barefooted Carmelites, who, to make show of their 
In'pocriticall and apparent godlinesse, and that whilest 
they would be thought to live like Eremites, retii-ed from 



SHORT EXCURSIONS FROM MEXICO. 257 

the world, tliey may draw the world unto them ; they have 
built there a stately Cloister, which being upon a hill and 
among rocks, makes it to bo more admired. About the 
Cloister they have fashioned out many holes and Caves 
in, under, and among the rocks, like Eremites lodgings, 
with a room to lie in, and an Oratory to pray in, with pict- 
ures, and Images, and rare devices for mortification, as 
disciplines of wyar, rods of Iron, hair-cloths girdles with 
sharp wyar points to girdle about their bare flesh, and 
many such like toyes, which hang about their Oratories, 
to make people admire their mortified and holy lives. 
All these Eremeticall holes and caves (which are some ten 
in all), are within the bounds and compasse of the Clois- 
ter and among orchards and gardens full of fruits and 
flowers, which may take up two miles compasse ; and 
here among the rocks are many springs of water, which 
with the shade of the plantins and other trees, are most 
cool and pleasant to the Eremites ; they have also the 
sweet smell of the roze andjazmin, which is a little flower, 
but the sweetest of all others ; there is not any other 
flower to be found that is rare and exquisite in that 
Country, which is not in that wildernesse to delight the 
senses of those mortified Eremites," 

All this lovely place really is a solitary place, a wilder- 
ness, now ; but even in its ruin it is one of the most 
beautiful spots to be found near the city— while the re- 
mains of the cloister and the "Eremeticall holes and 
caves " make it one of the most curious and interesting. 

San Juan Teotihuacan (twenty-seven miles out 
from Mexico on the line of the Vera Cruz railway). Near 
the village of this name are the very curious pyramids 
of the Sun and Moon (so-called), together with other in- 
teresting prehistoric remains. The X3yramids rise in the 
17 



258 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

midst of an arid region, largely composed of volcanic 
basalt deeply indented by numerous quarries, whence 
building material was obtained in prehistoric times. 
Although as seen from the railway the pyramids seem 
small in comparison with the adjacent little mountain, 
the Cerro Gordo, their really prodigious size becomes 
apparent when they are viewed from the level of the 
plain whereon they stand. They rise from the banks of 
the small river of Teotihuacan ; and for more than a 
league in radius traces are discoverable of a large and 
most substantially built city. The pyramid of the Sun, 
according to the very careful measurements of Seiior 
Garcia Cubas, is 216 ft. 8 in. high, with a base 761 ft. x 
721 ft. 7 in. square. The platform on the top is 59 feet 
from north to south by 105 feet from east to west. The 
pyramid of the Moon is 150 ft. 11 in. high, with a base 
511 ft. X 426 ft. 5 in., and a crowning platform 19 ft. 8 in. 
square.* The only entrance as yet discovered is found 
on the southern face of the pyramid of the Moon, at a 
height of 65 feet from the ground. This gives inlet to a 
narrow descending gallery, interrupted by a deep square 
well, the walls of which are laid up with carefully squared 
stone. The axis of this gallery (observation of Seiior 
Garcia Cubas) coincides exactly with the magnetic meri- 
dian. Beyond the gallery the interior remains unex- 
plored. The pyramid of the Sun has not been entered 
at all. To the south of the pyramid of the Sun is a large 
earthwork known as the ciudadela (citadel) ; a square in- 
closed by a mound averaging 262 feet thick by 32 feet 
high. In the centre of the inclosed square is a small 
pyramid, and upon the inclosing earth-work are fourteen 

* The pyramid of Cheops is 475 ft. 10 in. high, with a base 774 
ft. X 1102 ft. square. 



SHOET EXCURSIONS FEOM MEXICO. 259 

small pyramids disposed at regular intervals. In the 
neighborhood of the pyramids are great numbers of tu- 
muli, isolated and grouped. The most notable group of 
tumuli is that which borders the so-called Calle de los 
lluertos (the Street of the Dead). This curious cause- 
way begins near the " Citadel " and, passing the western 
face of the pyramid of the Sun, ends at the southern 
front of the pyramid of the Moon — there widening out 
into a large circle, in the centre of which is a tumulus. 
Many of the tumuli have been opened, disclosing in some 
cases boxes of wrought stone inclosing a skull and orna- 
ments of obsidian and pottery ; in other cases (in the 
tumuli along the sides of the Street of the Dead) only 
empty chambers have been found. The conclusion ar- 
rived at by Senor Orozco y Berra in regard to these very 
curious remains — mainly based upon the wide divergence 
from any known tj^pes of the clay masks found in what 
may be assumed to be the older of the tombs — is that 
they are the work of a race older than either Toltecs or 
Acolhuas, of which only these monuments now remain. 

Texcoco (on the line of the Irolo railway, 25 miles out 
from Mexico. Trains leave from the San Lazaro and 
Peralvillo stations. In the town there is a tidy little 
hotel, with a fair restaurant attached, kept by a French- 
man. The pulqu ehere is particularly good). During the 
century preceding the Conquest, Texcoco equalled the 
City of Tenochtitlan in importance. In the year 14:31 
the legitimate ruler, Netzahualcoyotl, having deposed 
the usurper Maxtla (see Atzcapotzalco) was firmly estab- 
lished upon his throne. Of this great man it is difficult 
to speak in terms of too high praise. The considerate 
historian, Senor Orozco y Berra, thus sums his character : 
" Just, yet clement, compassionate of misfortune, gener- 



260 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

ous, intelligent, an intrepid warrior, a philosopher, poet, 
engineer, legislator, the father of his people, he filled 
with his fame the world of Anahuac. . . . The Tex- 
coco of his time may be called the Athens of America ; 
as at the same period the strong, aggressive race inhab- 
iting Tenochtitlan made that city the antetype of ancient 
Kome." A part of the success of Cortes was due to the 
fact that at the time of his appearance this kingdom was 
divided by civil wars among the grand-children of Netz- 
ahualcoyotl, and that one of the factions became allied 
with the invaders. Texcoco was the base of operations 
against the city of Tenochtitlan. Here the "brigan- 
tines," * built in Tlaxcala and brought across the moun- 
tains in sections, were put together and launched through 
the canal over which still may be seen the puente de los 
bergantines. Pending the building of the City of Mexico, 
the first Franciscan mission was established here by 
Fray Pedro de Gante. Here for a time, when in disfavor 
with the Spanish king and forbidden to reside in Mexico, 
Cortes made his-home ; and in the church here remained 
for some years the Conqueror's bones. The existing town 
presents a very agreeable appearance. Its principal 
street is planted along each curb with a row of young 
orange-trees, and down this perspective is seen the fine 
mass of the ancient church of San Francisco ; having 
near it the still older church, a very plain structure, that 
probably dates from early in the sixteenth century. In 
the Plaza is a monument crowned with a bust of Netza- 
hualcoyotl ; at the corner of two of the principal streets 
is a very handsome fountain, the gift of the philanthropist 

* The " brigantines " were flat-bottomed boats propelled by 
sails and oars. Their misleading name in English is a too free 
translation of the Spanish word hergantin. 



SHOKT EXCURSIONS FROM MEXICO. 261 

and antiquarian Sefior Ruperto Jaspeado ; and in addi- 
tion to the church of San Francisco several other ancient 
churches command attention. Aztec remains are very 
plentiful about Texcoco. In the northwestern section of 
the town is the remnant of a mound composed of stones 
and earth, in which, in 1827, Mr. Poinsett found a regu- 
larly arched and well-built passage or sewer of stone 
cemented with lime ; and upon which, in 1850, Mr. 
Mayer observed " several large slabs of basaltic rock, 
neatly squared and laid north and south." In the south- 
ern part of Texcoco are the massive remains of three 
pyramids, or mounds, each about four hundred feet along 
its base lines. In the person of Seiior Jaspeado (whose 
residence adjoins the apothecary's shop not far from the 
church of San Francisco), persons speaking Spanish will 
find a most able exponent and interpreter of the town's 
antiquities. 

Tetzcotzinco. About three miles east of Texcoco is 
" the laughing hill " {risuena colina) of Tetzcotzinco. Here 
is an enduring monument to the engineering skill and 
good taste of Netzahualcoyotl in the shape of the won- 
derful pleasaunce that he caused to be built for his amuse- 
ment and recreation. The remains of terraced walks and 
stairways wind around the hill from base to summit ; 
seats are hollowed in shady nooks among the rocks, and 
everywhere traces are found of ingenious contrivances 
by which the natural beauty and cool comfort of the sit- 
uation were enhanced. The most important and most 
curious of these remains, at an elevation of eighty or one 
hundred feet, is that to which has been given the purely 
fanciful title of " Montezuma's bath " — a circular reser- 
voir about five feet in diameter and three feet deep whence 
water was distributed through many channels to the 



262 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

liangiug gardens below. lu order to supply the little 
reservoir stupendous works were executed. Nem* the 
"laughing hill,'' distant half or thi-ee-quai-tei-s of a mile, 
is another small hill, and beyond this, twelve or tifteen 
miles, is the moimtain chain that encii'cles the YiUley. 
From the reservoir the side of the hill in which it is hol- 
lowed is cut down and levelled, as though graded for a 
railroad, for about half a mile ; thence the grade is cai'ried 
aci^oss a ravine to the adjacent hill on an embivnkment 
fiillv sixty feet hii^h ; thence the side of the second hill 
is graded for a distance of a mile and a half ; and thence 
the grade is c:UTied on an embankment across the plain 
to the distant mountains. Along the top of the level thus 
formed "s\'aiS built an aqueduct, much of which still re- 
m:\ins in excellent preservation and testifies to the skill 
of its builders. It is formed of a very hoi'd plaster, made 
of lime and smiill poriions of a soft red stone ; is about 
two feet wide, and has a conduit about ten inches in di- 
ameter — a concave ti*ough covered by convex sections of 
plaster, together forming a tube. A part of this pleasur- 
ing place, though some distance from it, is the Bosque del 
Contador, a magniticent grove of ahuchuctcs, inclosing a 
great quadi'imgie that probably in tincient times was a 
lake. 

Molino de Flores. This chonning c oimtry plac e, be- 
lons:ini? to the family Cervimtes, hes on the line of the 
railway about thi-ee miles west of Texcoco. Its chief 
beauty is a rocky ravine, plentifully shaded, in which, 
beside a rustic chapel, is a water-fall. The gardens 
watered by the stream ai*e laid out with much taste and 
tu'c tilled with tlowers. In their midst sbmds the ku*go 
and handsome residence ; and at a short distiince bo- 
low the waterfiUl is the mill. At times when the resi- 



SIIOKT EXCURSIONS FROM MEXICO. 2G3 

dcnce is not occupied strangers are admitted to the 
grounds by the steward. 

Cuatienchan. Not far from the MoHno de Flores is 
the Httle village of this name, notable as being near to a 
very remarkable prehistoric relic. This is the prostrate 
figure in stone of an idol popularly (and perhaps cor- 
rectly) styled Xicaca, goddess of waters. The figure is 
a huge monolith, about eighteen feet long by about four 
feet across, and is nearly perfect — though as much in- 
jured as was possible without recourse to drilling and 
blasting. The figure probably was thrown down from 
the crest of the hill, and certainly was defaced, by the 
Spaniards ; but against such a very massive idol as this 
is even that most iconoclastic of all archbishops, the 
devil-defying Zumarraga, was comparatively powerless. 

Amecameca (on the line of the Morelos railway, 35 
miles out from Mexico. A fair hotel. Hotel Ferro Carril, 
near the station). The chief attraction of the little 
town is the Sacra Jlonte (Sacred Mount) at the base of 
which the railway passes. The hill is clothed with fine 
old cedars, and upon its crest, reached by a winding, 
paved roadway, is the Chapel del Senor in which is ven- 
erated an image of the Holy Sepulchre (Santo Entierro), 
called of the Sacro Monte. Pilgrimages are made hero 
throughout the yeai*, but notably iust before Quinqua- 
gesima Sunday, in order to be present at the special and 
very impressive services held on that day. For the ac- 
commodation of pilgrims there has been built upon the 
mount, adjacent to the chapel, a house of religious re- 
treat. Amonc: the churches of the town the most con- 
spicuous edifice, and the most interesting relic, is the 
tower of the extinct chapel of San Juan, built but a few 
yeai's after the Conquest. Amecameca is the point of 



264 MEXICAN GriDE. 

cTepartiire from the railway in making tlie ascent of 
Popocatapetl (which see). 

Tajo de Nochistongo (on the line of the Mexican 
Central Eailwar. The station of Huehuetoca is 29 miles 
out from Mexico). This great work was planned by the 
engineer Enrico Martinez to carry off the superfluous 
waters of Lake Zumpango — the highest of the several 
lakes in the Mexican valley — and so to prevent over- 
flow into the lower lakes and the inundation of the city. 
A still more comprehensive plan that he had in mind 
was to strike at the root of the matter and make his 
drain deep enough to carry oft' the waters of Texcoco ; 
but this, because of its great cost, was abandoned. 
Work was begim November 28, 1607. Fifteen thou- 
sand Indians were employed — this force being utihzed 
by sinking shafts at different points and working head- 
ings from each shaft in opposite directions — and in 
eleven months a timnel was completed eleven feet wide 
bv thii-teen feet hi^'h and more than four miles loncf. 
The inner facing of the tunnel, being of adobe, softened 
and caved ; and a stone facing, being simply a vault with- 
out firm foundation, proved equally insecure. On June 
20, 1629, the rainy season having set in with unusual 
violence, Martinez gave orders that the mouth of the 
timnel should be closed — either intending by a very 
practical demonstration to convince the people of Mex- 
ico of the utility of his tunnel (in regard to which much 
diversity of opinion prevailed, and concerning which he 
had been emraered in an acrimonious controversv with 
the authorities), or, as he himself stated, being fearful 
that the work would be completely wi'ecked by the en- 
trance of so great a volume of water. The eftect was 
instantaneous. In a single night the whole city, except- 



SHORT EXCURSIONS FROM MEXICO. 265 

ing the Plaza Mayor, was three feet under water. Dur- 
ing five years, 1629-34, this, " the great inundation," 
lasted ; throughout all of which time the streets were 
passable only in boats. The foundations of many build- 
ings were destroyed, trade was paralyzed, and among 
the poorer classes there was infinite misery. The order 
actually was issued from Madrid to abandon the sub- 
merged city and build a new Mexico on the high ground 
between Tacuba and Tacubaya. Unfortunately, before 
this wise order could be executed, a very dry season, 
dui'ing which several earthquakes cracked the ground 
and so permitted the water to escape, made the pro- 
jected removal unnecessary. Martinez, who had been 
imprisoned for causing this great calamity, was released, 
and was ordered to execute works by which the city 
should be made secure against like visitations in future. 
He reopened the tunnel, and as an additional safeguard 
rebuilt the dyke of San Cristobal. This great dyke con- 
sists of two distinct masses of, approximately, two miles 
and three quarters and a mile and a half in length, each 
portion being twenty-seven feet in thickness, and vary- 
ing in height from eight to ten feet. Great as these 
works were, they did not afford absolute protection to 
the city ; for the tendency of the tunnel to cave and 
become choked constantly threatened a repetition of the 
disaster of 1629. From the engineering standpoint of 
the times the necessity of taking out the tunnel in open 
cut was recognized. During more than a century this 
great undertaking was carried on in a desultory fashion ; 
and at last, being taken in hand by the Consulada, or 
corporate body of merchants of the capital, was pressed 
vigorously to a conclusion between the years 1767 and 
1789. In order to gain a slope so gradual from the top 



266 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

to the bottom as to preyent the sides from falling in, a 
great width had to be given to the cut at the top. For 
a considerable portion of its extent its width vai'ies fi-om 
278 to 630 feet, while its perpenclicular depth is from 
147 to 196 feet. The whole length of the cut, from the 
sluice called the vertideros to the saUo, or fall, of the river 
Tula, is 67,537 feet. A very complete \iew of this re- 
markable work can be had from the ti'ains of the Mexi- 
can Central Railway, the line' of which road is carried 
through the tqjo, or cut, at an elevation of fifty feet or 
more above the stream. 

Los Remedies (about twelve miles out from Mexico, 
some distance oft' the line of the Mexican National Bail- 
way). This shrine, once one of the two great shrines 
in Mexico, now practically is deserted. On the hill of 
Totoltepec, whereon it is situated, a teocaUi stood before 
the Conquest, and in the shelter that this place aftbrded 
the ai*my of Cortes rested after the reti-eat of the Noche 
Triste. Here, being too sorely wounded to carry it fur- 
ther, one of the Spanish soldiers, Juan Eodrigiiez de 
Villafuerte, says the legend, hid an image of the Virgin 
that he had brought with him from Spain ; the same 
that by permission of Montezuma for a time w^as set up 
in a shrine in the great teocalli of Tenochtitlan during 
the first and peaceful period of the Spanish occupation. 
In the year 1535, the legend continues, an Indian cacique, 
Don Juan Diego Cequauhtzin, found in the midst of a 
maguey this holy image, l^j a series of miracles the 
image demonstrated its liking for this paiticular hill, 
and a chapel was built here for its accommodation. As 
jeni's went on the chapel was enlarged and beautified, 
and Our Lady of the ivemedies came in time to hold the 
same exalted position that was held by Our Lady of 



SHORT EXCURSIONS FROM MEXICO. 267 

Guadalupe. Her downfall was the result of her cntangle- 
meut in politics. After the battle of Las Cruces, Oc- 
tober 30, 1810, when the Eoyalist forces were driven 
back to Mexico by Hidalgo, Our Lady of the Eemedies 
was brought into the city with solemn ceremonies ; her 
aid was invoked against the rebels, and she was formally 
made Generala of the armies of the king. She thus be- 
came the representative of the Spanish faction, as the 
Virgin of Guadalupe was. representative of the Mexican. 
The feeling among the Mexicans grew so bitter against 
her that, when Independence was secured, the order 
actually was issued — though it was not executed — for her 
banishment from the country ! Although the ill-feeling 
against her has lessened, La Gachapina, as she was de- 
risively called, never has recovered fully her lost ground. 
The more notable festivals now celebrated in the church 
of Los Remedios are the feast of her day, September 1st, 
and one peculiar to the Indians on the fourteenth Sunday 
after Pentecost. As this latter is mentioned by Vetancurt, 
it certainly has been observed for at least two hundred 
years. The image is coarsely carved, about eight inches 
high, lacking a nose and with only one eye. In the 
days of her glory the jewels and wardrobe of Nuestra 
Sefiora de los Eemedios were worth more than a mill- 
ion of dollars. Especial invocation was made to her 
for rain. Conversely, the Virgin of Guadalupe was in- 
voked w^hen the rains were excessive. 

Toluca (on the line of the Mexican National Rail- 
way, 45 miles out from Mexico. The best hotel, a poor 
one, is the Gran Sociedad). The ride across the moun- 
tain range (see p. 269), in itself is so beautiful as to 
make this journey well worth taking. The town has an 
air of newness and prosperity uncommon in Mexico ; 



268 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

and while this is pleasant for the townspeople, no doubt, 
it is not approved by the traveller in search of the pic- 
tui'esque. Toluca is the capital of the State of Mexico, 
and upon the pretty little plaza are the handsome build- 
ings of the State government. The most interesting 
church is the parroquia, sl Franciscan foundation dating 
from a period shortly after the Conquest. The existing 
church replaced the primitive stiiicture, and in a pas- 
sageway leading to it from a side street — a passage- 
way quite at variance with the present plan — may 
be seen an old arch upon which is inscribed: "This 
gallery has not been straightened, to the end that this 
arch, and the two at the end of the sacristy, may be 
preserved ; these being parts of the first Catholic tem- 
ple that ever was in Toluca." In front of San Francisco 
are the foundations and a few feet of the superstructure 
of a very large church that is building slowly as alms 
for carr^dng on the work come in. Its completion seems 
to be a matter of a very remote future, for in the httle 
that has been accomplished ten years have been con- 
sumed. In the church of Our Lady of Carmen is to be 
seen, in a side chapel that was the primitive church, a 
curious little portable organ, very old and of Mexican 
manufacture — possibly the first organ made in America. 
In this chapel, also, is a very fine " Virgin and Dead 
Christ." In the suburbs is a pretty alameda — refresh- 
ingly uncared for in appearance — and near this is a 
church the fa9ade of which is decorated with carved and 
colored figures very odd and very grotesque. In the 
Calle de Indepencia is a marble statue of Hidalgo ; much 
more striking as an evidence of patriotism than as a 
work of art. A little more than two miles west of the 
town is the church of Nuestra Senora de Tecajic, in 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 269 

which is preserved a miraculous image much venerated 
by the Indians. The picture represents the Assumption 
of the Virgin, and is painted on coarse cotton cloth. 
This shrine has been in existence for more than two 
hundred years. Near the town is the quiescent vol- 
cano of the Nevado, known also by its primitive name of 
Xinantecatl. 



XIIL EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND 3I0EE. 

The Mexican National Railway. One of the most 
delightful excursions out of Mexico may be made over 
this line— into the heart of the Republic, where still sur- 
vive, to a very remarkable degree, the customs and mode 
of life characteristic of the vanished Viceroyalty of New 
Spain. It may be made most judiciously by taking the 
afternoon train to Toluca — thus securing the beautiful 
afternoon views in crossing the mountains — and spending 
the ensuing day there (Hotel de la Gran Sociedad); thence 
take the morning train, about 9 o'clock, through to More- 
lia (Hotel Michoacan) ; after spending two or more days 
— probably more, for it is a most charming town — return 
by morning train to Acambaro (poor restaurant near rail- 
way station) where six hours can be spent ; thence take 
the afternoon train to San Miguel de AUende ; one or 
two days here (Hotel de Allende) ; thence by morning 
train to Celaya (Hotel Guadalupe) and on the ensuing 
morning return to Mexico. 

Soon after leaving the Colonia station the tree of the 
Noche Triste and the tower of San Esteban are seen on 
the right ; beyond Atzcapotzalco the train enters the 
valley of Los Kemedios, and on a hill at some distance to 



270 MEXICAIT GUIDE. 

the right may be seen the shrine of Nuestra Senora de 
los Remedios ; a very fine view of the Valley of Mexico, 
with the city in the middle distance and the snow-capped 
volcanoes in the background, is had during the ascent 
of the mountains ; near Salazar the railway runs within 
a few rods of the battleground of Las Cruces — marked 
by a monument — where Hidalgo routed the first royalist 
army sent against him, October 30, 1810 ; and a dozen 
miles beyond Salazar the first view is had of the valley of 
Toluca. (For a description of the town of Toluca see page 
267.) A dozen leagues north of Toluca, to the right of 
the railway, is the Gerro del Senor, the Hill of Our Lord, 
a very beautiful, dome-like mountain, once a place of pil^ 
grimage. With a field-glass it is possible to make out 
the now partly ruined sanctuary crowning this mountain. 
About noon the train passes through the canon of Tulte- 
nango, not such a rocky wonder as the Grand Canon of 
the Arkansas, but both impressive and beautiful ; and 
as this is left behind the Valley of Solis opens. Beyond 
the little town of Maravatio — where there is a fine church 
tower to be seen on the left — the line passes around the 
shoulder of a mountain into the valley of the Lerma. 
Acambaro was an important town in Viceroyal days, being 
a stopping place on the great road from the City of Mex- 
ico to Acapulco — over which road the trade with the 
East was conducted. The fine stone bridge that here 
crosses the Lerma is a relic of this past importance. The 
most picturesque feature of the town is the old church 
of San Francisco, in a great walled church-yard, wherein 
grow many fine old trees. In the church are some 
curious ex votos. Crossing another divide, the line en- 
ters the Morelia valley — where a very beautiful sunset 
effect usually is had : the lake of Cuitzeo filling the fore- 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 271 

ground and middle distance and a background of moun- 
tains rising beyond. 

Morelia is one of the most thoroughly satisfying cities 
in Mexico. It is built upon a hill, is very clean, very 
dry, and has an equable and delightful climate. The 
hotel (Michoacan) is cleanly and comfortable, and reason- 
ably good food can be had at the near-by restaurant of 
the Soledad. The City of Valladolid, now Morelia, was 
founded May 18, 1541. In this year, according to the 
Augustinian chronicler Fray Diego Basalenque, " the 
Viceroy Mendoza found a very charming {inuy Undo) site 
for a city, having the seven qualities which Plato declares 
such a site should have ; and there be founded a city 
with the name of his own country, Valladolid, joining to- 
gether some of the most noble people that were to be 
found in all the earth to be its citizens, so that at once 
a small but very noble city was there." It is very certain 
that no one having any knowledge of the beauty of Mor- 
elia, and of the " hidalguia " of its kindly inhabitants, 
will deny that it is a small but very noble city even until 
this dvij. In the town was born, September 30, 17G5, 
the patriot Morelos ; and in his honor the name of the 
town was changed to Morelia by an act of the Legislature 
of Michoacan of September 12, 1828. The house in 
which he was born, and another house in which for a 
number of years he lived, are marked by commemora- 
tive tablets. In the latter are preserved his portrait, 
and the handkerchief that was bound across his eyes 
when, after trial and condemnation by the Inquisition 
(see p. 141), he was shot, December 22, 1815. The Lib- 
erator Yturbide also was born in Morelia, and the house 
in which his birth occuiTcd also is marked by a tablet. 
Another tablet, opposite to the Plazuela of the Martyrs, 



272 MEXICATT GUIDE. 

marks tlie spot wliere the patriot Matamoras was shot, 
February 3, 1814. The cathedral is a large and hand- 
some building, containing a very fine choir and some fairly 
good pictures. The primitive cathedral, now the church 
of Santa Cruz, possesses little interest aside from its age. 
At the southern end of the town a handsome stone cause- 
way, nearly half a mile long, shaded by fine old trees, leads 
to the Sanctuary of Guadalupe, a foundation of the }■ ear 
1708. The present church contains a good altar, de- 
signed by the architect Don Nicolas Luna, and an or- 
gan in a very richly carved case — the organ-loft upheld 
by caryatides. Adjoining the church is the ex-monastery 
of San Diego. The causeway leads also to the Garden 
of San Pedro, in which is the old chapel ef San Pedro ; 
the foundations of a penitentiary modelled upon the 
Eastern Penitentiary of Pennsylvania, and the first part 
of the four miles of fine stone aqueduct, erected in 1785, 
that brings water to the town. Beyond the garden is the 
ruined chapel of the Concepcion, probably erected in 1541. 
Other notable churches are : San Francisco, from which, 
tradition affirms, a secret passage leads to the meadows 
outside the town ; La Compaiiia, San Francisco, Santa 
Catarina de Sena and San Agustin. Morelia is famous 
for its sweets, to be bought in the principal shops ; and 
here also may be bought specimens of the curious lac- 
quered ware manufactured in Uruapan. The best place 
to purchase this is in a house just off from the Calle de 
San Francisco and near the post-office — where the famous 
coffee of Uruapan also is sold. Should the journey be ex- 
tended to Patzcuaro — as it certainly should be — still 
better opportunities will be had for the purchase of this 
remarkable ware ; while the best opportunities are to be 
had by continuing onward to the delightful town of 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 273 

XJruapan, where the ware is made. At least, an expedition 
should be made on the railway westward as far as the 
falls of the Orchard River — el salto de la huerta. 

Returning" to Acambaro, and resuming the journey 
northward over the main line, the route is down the val- 
ley of the Lerma, thickly studded with exceedingly pic- 
turesque Indian villages ; past Salvatierra, where impor- 
tant woollen mills are in operation, and where, a very 
remarkable thing in Mexico, an ill-proportioned church 
is to be seen ; across to the valley of the Laja, and up this 
to Celaya (also reached by the Mexican Central Railway). 

Celaya possesses some manufactories, but the town 
is chiefly remarkable for its churches and its sweetmeats 
— the latter a preparation of milk and sugar boiled to- 
gether, exceedingly toothsome. The Reform was not 
pushed so vigorously here as it was in the City of 
Mexico, and all of Celaj'a's many churches live on. The 
old church of San Francisco still retains its ancient state, 
and close around it are gathered five smaller churches 
and chapels, and on the outer edge of the group is the 
quaint parroywm. The especial pride of Celaya, however, 
is not any of these, nor even the stately church of San 
Agustin : it is the noble church of Our Lady of Carmen, 
remarkable alike for its size, grandeur, beautiful sim- 
plicity conjoined with dignity, its lightness and its 
grace. Its dome is the most perfect in Mexico. The 
architect of this very remarkable work — built between 
the years 1803 and 1807 — was Francisco Eduardo Tres- 
guerras : architect also of the bridge over the Laja. In 
the church are some notable frescoes by Tresguerras, who 
also was an artist ; and in the chapel of the Last Judg- 
ment, besides frescoes, there is a painting by him in oils 
of Our Lady of Carmen ; and two medallion portraits of 
18 



274 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

this " Micliel Angelo of Mexico " — as lie is Tery properly 
called. In the church is a strong picture hj Nicolas 
Kodriguez Juarez, " The Triumph of Mary," painted in 
the year 1695 and in perfect condition. From Celaya 
the railroad follows the valley of the Laja, and, just be- 
fore reaching San Miguel, passes through the Laja canon. 
San Miguel affords reasonably comfortable quarters 
at the Hotel Allende, connected with which is a fair 
table d'hote. The principal church is the parroquia, in 
process of transformation into a Gothic edifice. This 
work of transformation was jDlanned and has been carried 
on by a native of the town who has had no training 
as an architect, and whose working drawings for the 
most part have been traced on the ground where the 
stone masons are at work. The front and towers are 
nearly finished, and, while the structure will not bear 
scrutiny, the general effect is excellent. A gentle-man- 
nered little man, Hipolito, the sacristan of this church, 
will be found, by persons speaking Spanish, an excellent 
guide to San Miguel — and a fine authority in the legend- 
ary lore of the valley. A fee of half a dollar a day will 
be a fair gratuity for his services. Adjoining the parro- 
quia is the church of the Santa Escuela, in which there 
are some curious figui-es of saints — notably of San An- 
tonio Abad, in fine old Spanish costume, who having lost 
his primitive pig has had supplied in its place a most 
sinister looking pig of modern Mexican manufacture. 
Vespers, or any convenient service, should be heard in 
this church, the music being remarkably fine. The most 
beautiful thing in San Miguel is the Santa Casa of Loreto, 
in a chapel of the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri. This ex- 
quisite piece of work, a jewel in carved wood and color 
and gilding and delicate metal work and glazed tiles. 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 275 

was the gift, in the year 1735, of the Sefior Don Manuel 
Tomas de la Canal and the Sefiora Dona Maria Herras de 
Plores, his wife — whose portraits are preserved in the 
Santa Casa. The palace in which this pious gentleman 
and his wife lived is now the Hotel Allende, and the 
very original decoration for a hotel — the figure of the 
Virgin of Loreto carved in stone over the main entrance 
— is a relic of these its former occupants. The family 
of Canal is now extinct in this line. In the rear of the 
Santa Casa is a shrine in which are the bones of San 
Columban, preserved in a wax body and greatly vener- 
ated. Several other churches are well worth looking at : 
the Concepcion, a part of the ex-convent of Capuchinas, 
stiU preserving its convent chapel separated from the 
church by a double iron grating, and containing in a 
cloister some very grotesque pictures ; San Francisco, 
with its adjoining ex-monastery ; Nuestra Sefiora de la 
Soledad ; and three or four more. The chapel of the 
Calvary stands at the top of a very steep street, and be- 
low it, extending to the Plaza, where the first is, are the 
fourteen Stations of the Cross. Sinners did penance in 
former times by ascending this steep place upon their 
knees, stopping at each of the Stations to make the proper 
prayer. Near to the Calvary is the little Beaterio * of 
Santo Domingo, attached to which is a small church 
built on two levels — the chancel being a terrace above 
the nave — on the side of the hill. The space reserved 
for the heatas is partitioned from the body of the 
church by a wooden grating. In a dark, crooked pas- 
sage, partly cut through the hillside, uniting the church 

* A beaterio is a community of women not vowed, not cloistered, 
not wearing the habit of an order, but simply devoted to good 
works. 



276 MEXICAK GUIDE. 

and the Beaterio, is a dark cell formerly used for pen- 
ance and correction. In the southern suburbs of the 
town are many beautiful gardens, made fertile by the 
water that flows from a great spring on the hill-side 
above. The hill-side is laid out in terraced gardens, 
through which wind stone-paved paths and stairways ; 
and immediately about the spring are conveniently ar- 
ranged baths — slightly warm in winter, and in summer 
cool. From a mirador in front of the bath-houses a fine 
view of the town and of the valley and distant mountains 
beyond may be had. Above the town is the Cerro de 
Montezuma, concerning the enchantments of which — be- 
fore the great cross was placed upon its summit — Hipo- 
lito, or any other well informed citizen of the town, will 
tell many entertaining legends. The primitive town of 
San Miguel was founded nearly three miles west of the 
present city. The first small church, known as San 
Miguel Viejo, is still in existence, being now upward of 
three hundred years old. On the crest of a high hill in 
the rear of the old town is an altar — that from below 
seems to be a watch-tower — where services are held on 
certain festival days. 

San Miguel, founded about the year 1560 as an out- 
post against the incursions of the Chichemec Indians, 
has an important place in the history of Mexican Inde- 
pendence. The eminent patriot Ignacio Allende was 
born here January 20, 1779 — from which fact his name 
was added to that of the town shortly after Independence 
was secured. Allende was with Hidalgo in Dolores and 
gave vigorous aid to the rising of September 16, 1810 ; 
and when Hidalgo marched to San Miguel the Queen's 
regiment, to which Allende belonged, then stationed 
there, was induced to join the revolt. About five miles 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 277 

from San Miguel is the Santuario de Jesus Nazareno de 
Atotonilco, whence Hidalgo took the banner of the Virgin 
of Guadalupe that became the standard of Independence. 
(The return journey to Mexico from San Miguel may be 
made in a single day.) 

The Mexican Railway. Travellers entering Mexico 
via Vera Cruz probably will stop at Puebla on their way 
up to the capital. If they do not, they certainly should 
make an especial expedition to that city ; as, of course, 
should travellers who have entered Mexico by rail. 
These latter should go as far as Orizaba, both for the 
sake of seeing that quaint little town and for the sake of 
the magnificent scenery by the way. Four days will 
suffice to cover the ground ; but at Puebla alone a 
month may be spent without seeing all the wonders and 
beauties of this most picturesque, interesting, and gen- 
erally delightful of towns. 

Leaving the Buena Vista station, the train crosses by 
the causeway built in 1675-76 (see page 217) to Guada- 
lupe — the new custom-house being seen on the right, 
and on the left the grand stand and inclosure of the 
race track belonging to the Jockey Club. In the edge 
of the town of Guadalupe the line curves to the north- 
east, and thence onward, until it leaves the Valley, 
traverses the Plain of Apam — the most famous/) if Z^ue 
region in Mexico. Twenty-seven miles out from the city 
the pyramids of the Sun and Moon are seen on the left 
(see page 257). At Otumba, thirty-five miles from the 
city, Cortes gave battle (July 8, 1520) to the Aztecs, dur- 
ing his retreat to Tlascala. For the supply of Zempo- 
ala and Otumba with water, a very remarkable aqueduct 
was built by the Franciscan monk Fray Francisco Tem- 
bleque about the middle of the sixteenth century. This 



278 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

great work, usually referred to as the arcos de Zempoala, 
was thirty-seven miles long, was carried across three val- 
leys, and included one arch 82 feet high with a 64 foot 
span. The towns of Yrolo and Apam, lying in the 
midst of the Maguey region, are especially celebrated 
for their manufactures of pulque. From the former a 
tramway 37 miles long leads to Pachuca (which see). 
The highest point on the line, 8,333 feet, is reached be- 
yond Soltepec. At Apizaco, 86^ miles from Mexico, the 
traveller proceeds to Puebla over a branch road thirty 
miles long. 

Puehla (population 75,000 ; hotels, Espaiiol and Dili- 
gencias). The foundations of the City of the Angels were 
laid in holiness. Thus writes* its worthy founder, one 
of the " Twelve Apostles " (see p. 125), the Franciscan 
Fray Toribio de Benevente, better known by the name 
that he willingly accepted of Motolinia (humble, mean) : 
" The City of the Angels which is in this New Spain, in 
the Province of Tlascala, was founded with the approval 
and by the order of the Audencia Eeal, being President 
the Bishop Fuenleal, at the urgent request of the minor 
friars [Franciscans]. These friars begged that there 
might be made a town of Spaniards who should them- 
selves cultivate the earth in the manner and fashion of 
Spain, without wishing or having allotments of Indian 
slaves ; that thus there might be gathered together in 
useful employment the many going about the country 
vagabond and idle. Therefore the city was founded on 
the 16th of April — being the day of Santo Toribio — in 
the year 1532.f On this day came the inhabitants that 
were to be, forty families of Spaniards ; and the Indians 

* '* Historia de los Indies de la Nueva Espana." 
f This date is verified by Mr. Bandelier. 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MOKE. 279 

of the sun'ounding towns, a great multitude, most will- 
ingly helped the Christians — bringing materials for the 
first houses of straw, and singing joyfully as they gave 
their aid. And before the plan of the city was marked 
out upon the ground, was celebrated the first mass.'* 
Although known as Puebla de los Angeles during three 
hundred and thirty-two years, the town now is styled 
officially Puebla de Zaragoza — thus commemorating the 
victory won by General Zaragoza (with whom General 
Diaz served as a subordinate) over the French on the 
Fifth of May (el cinco de Mayo), 1862. In itself this bat- 
tle was not a very important affair : an assault by the 
French and a gallant repulse by the Mexicans ; but it 
marked a turning point in the affairs of the nation, and 
its moral effect in inspiring the Mexicans to renewed ef- 
forts to expel the French invaders was of the first im- 
portance. A far more brilliant victory was won here 
five years later, when, the situations being precisely re- 
versed, General Diaz took Puebla by storm (April 2, 
1867) and made prisoners of the officers and men of the 
Imperial army that had unsuccessfully defended it. 

The city of Puebla is admirably situated, commands a 
wonderfully fine view, is well planned, and is main- 
tained in excellent condition. Besides the main plaza 
many smaller plazas adorn the town ; there are two 
paseos^ one of which, along the bank of the little river 
Atoyac, is especially attractive ; the principal market 
place covers a considerable space and presents many 
characteristic and interesting features, and a very en- 
tertaining shopping expedition can be made in the por- 
tales which extend round three sides of the Plaza Ma- 
yor, But the great charm of Puebla lies in its many 
churches. These are almost as numerous, and fully as 



2S0 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

handsome, as those in the City of Mexico ; and around 
them linger legends and traditions not less quaint and 
strange. 

The corner-stone of the first church was laid in the 
Tear 1531, by Bishop Zumarraga ; and five years later, 
Angiist 29, 153G, was Liid the corner-stone of the lii-st 
cathednil. Both of these buildings have disappeai*ed ; 
although it is probable that a portion of the nave of the 
first church is a pai't of the present S:igi*ai*io. The 
date of the founding of the existing cathedral is uncer- 
tain ; but it is kuowTi that by the ye:u* I60G the build- 
iug was well advanced. It was consecrated April IS, 
164:9 ; but since that date material additions have been 
made to it, including the south or " new " tower, erected 
some time in the last century. It is built upon the 
south side of the main plaza, iind is elevated upon a 
stone platform, or terrace, about ten feet high, so that 
it stands boldly out from the suiToundiuir buildinc^s. 
On the west front rise two towers, and between tliem 
is the main entnmce, a Lxrge and handsome portico sur- 
mounted by stone sculpture and moulding. Over the 
main entrance is the date, 16t.U, when this portion of the 
structure was finished. The building is 323 feet long 
by 101 feet ^^ide ; has an interior height of 80 feet, and 
is surmounted by a fine dome. An inscription upon 
the "old" tower teUs that it cost $100,000. In this 
tower are eighteen bells, the Lu-gest of which weighs 
upward of nine tons. The whole buOdiug is of very 
massive construction, with heavy buttresses, of a stone 
resembling blue basidt ; the stones chisel-squared and 
the joints pointed. In its interior adornments this ca- 
thedi-al is the finest in Mexico ; ivlthough the efiect of 
the lofty nave is much iujui-ed by the choii', siu'mounted 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 281 

by lofty screens, in its centre. The aisles ai-o aividea 
otf by massive columns, and the floor is laid in colored 
mai-bles. The high altm-, begun in 1780 and tiuishcd in 
1819, is the work of Don Manuel Tol&v, and cost moro 
thim $110,000. It is composed of a g-reat variety of 
^lexican marbles, the onyx peculiar to Puebla predom- 
inating. Beneath it is the sepulchre of the bishops. 
The altar, very perfect in itself, is somewhat dispropor- 
tionately large. Before the Reform, this alti\r, decorated 
with gold and silver and jewels, was unsiu-passed in 
richness. The choir, also, is exceedingly elegant. Tho 
stalls ai-e exquisitely ciu-ved and inlaid ; above the bish- 
op's chair is a very beautifully wrought image, of inhiid 
wood, of San Pedro, and there is also a wonderful carv- 
ing in ivory of the Virgin, by the master Pedro Munoz, 
who completed it after three years' labor in 1722. In- 
closing the side of tho choir toward the chjmcel is a 
wrought iron grating, completed in 1(397 by the master 
Mateo de la Cruz. The choir-books ai*e beautiful speci- 
mens of illumination. At the reiu* of the choir, facing 
the main entrance of the cathednil, is the altai* of the 
Souls (las Animas) adorned with two pictures by Zen- 
dejas and iin image of San Jos6 by Corn. On the side 
walls of the choir ai-e four line paintings by the eminent 
Mexican ai-tist Ibarra — one an allegorical presentment of 
San Jose tendering the Cathedral of Puebla to the Vir- 
gin. 

The Stations of the Cross, the large pictures decoi-a- 
ting fourteen of the pillai-s, are by Cabrera. Maiiy other 
piiiutings by the most eminent Mexican artists adorn the 
church. The tinest of the minor altai-s is the beautiful 
work in Puebla marble (onyx) in the chapel of Los 
Reyes. The side chapels ai-e foiu'teeu in number, many 



282 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

of them adorned with works by the Puebla sculptor Jose 
Villegas Cora, who flourished in the eighteenth century. 
In the sacristy are several notable paintings, and some 
beautiful works — a table and font — of onyx ; and ad- 
joining the sacristy, in the chapter room, are portraits 
of the several successive bishops of Puebla, and some 
curious tapestry of ancient Flanders manufacture. Ad- 
joining the cathedral is the Sagrario, containing an altar 
of which the carvings were executed by Cora, and a 
baptistry in which is a beautiful font of onyx, and, over 
the altar, a picture interesting in that it was the last 
work of the artist Miguel Geronimo Zendejas and was 
painted when he was ninety-two years old. The church 
of San Francisco was founded at the foundation of the 
city, by Fray Motolinia — who selected for it the beautiful 
site above the Atoyac, overlooking the paseo viejo. The 
existing church dates from about 1667, although since 
then it has received some alterations and additions. Its 
tower is the pride of Puebla, unusually high and finely 
proportioned, and containing in its lower story the 
chapel of San Antonio de la Torre. Another distinctive 
architectural feature of the church is the choir arch, so 
flat that its remaining in place seems a marvel. "When 
it was completed, indeed, the architect who had planned 
it did not believe that it would hold. He incontinently 
betook himself to parts unknown, leaving the monks to 
take the risks attendant upon removing the false-work. 
These, prudently, took out the supporting beams by set- 
ting fire to them : and to the wonder of all the arch 
remained firm. And it continues firm now, at the end 
of two hundred years. The church contains some un- 
usually good figures, among the best being the Pui'is- 
ima, over the high altar, and — over the side altars — 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 283 

San Francisco Xavier, San Ignacio, and Nuestra Sefiora 
de los Dolores ; and some notable paintings by Santiago 
Villanueva. The most interesting chapel is that of the 
Conquistadora. In this is preserved an image of Nuestra 
Seiiora de los Remedios that was presented in Coyoacan 
by Cortes to his friend the Tlascallan cacique Don Axo- 
tecatl Cocomitzin, in thankfulness for the aid given by 
this chieftain at the time of the Conquest. The identity 
of the image is certified to by documents duly drawn on 
the 22d of August, 1582. Upon the main altar of the 
chapel are preserved the remains of the beato Sebastian 
de Aparicio, a lay brother of the Franciscan order, born 
1502, died IGOO, who first introduced oxen into Mexico ; 
who for many years drove an ox-cart post between Vera 
Cruz and the capital, and who in 1542 began, and for 
a long while thereafter continued, an ox-cart post over 
the Tierra Dentro, the dangerous road through the 
Chichemec country between Mexico and Zacatecas. 
The church of Santo Domingo was founded in 1571, 
and was completed in 1611. It contains several pic- 
tures, and some carvings of good quality, and has an 
unusually fine roof ornamented with alto-relievos. In 
it is preserved a miraculous image, a picture of the Vir- 
gin that the Virgin herself stamped upon the sleeve of 
a holy monk of the order. The chapel of the Rosario 
is especially rich and beautiful. In a Uttle courtyard 
of the sacristy there is a stone cross that marks the 
founding of the church ; and in the atrium a cross of 
glazed tiles marks the spot on which the mass was first 
celebrated. The Dominican monastery — razed that a 
street might be opened — was one of the largest and 
most elegant possessed by the order in Mexico. The 
church of Nuestra Seilora del Carmen, founded in 1586 



284 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

— althougli the existing church was not erected until the 
ensuing centuiy — is one of the notable buildings of the 
city. It contains several handsome chapels, in one of 
which — the relicdrio — is preserved the half of the hand- 
kerchief with which the Virgin mped her eyes at the 
foot of the cross. The church of San Cristobal pos- 
sesses an unusually fine fa9ade, and contains a number 
of images of much excellence — most of which are by 
the Puebla sculptor Cora. The chapel of the Santisi- 
ma Virgen del Transito (the Assumption of the Virgin) 
contains a colossal statue of the mai'tyr San Cristobal 
that for many years was in the Cathedral ; thence it 
was taken to the church of the Espiritu Santo, whence 
it was brought to where it now is. Other especially 
notable churches are : San Jose — the saint who protects 
Puebla from lightning, and whose image venerated in 
this church is carved from a lightning-riven tree ; the 
Compania, the beautiful church erected by the Jesuits, 
that contains a picture of the Virgin presented by San 
Francisco Borja when General of the order, and a 
mh-aculous image of San Ignacio Loyola that has been 
heard to speak ; Santa Clara, notable for its fine arched 
roof and for the buttresses added shortly after it was 
erected to keep the roof from caving in, and also for 
possessing in its relicdrio thorns from the crown of 
Christ ; San Antonio (formerly known as Santa Barbara) 
a church much reverenced because in the monastery of 
which it was a part San Felipe de Jesus, the Mexican 
proto-martyr, Hved his by-no-means saintly novitiate, 
and because it possesses in its relicdrio a scrap of this 
saint's skin. While the churches here named are those 
which should be seen if the stay in Puebla of the trav- 
eller is limited to a few days, there are upward of 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 285 

twenty other churches that lovers of the picturesque 
and curious, with time at their disposal, will find very 
well worth visiting. 

Cholida (a tramway, starting from the Matamoras sta- 
tion, in Puebla, leads to Cholula, seven miles distant). 
The city is divided into four wards and is laid out, with 
the usual Mexican regularity, around the central plaza, 
called the Zocalo — a lovel}^ garden, shaded by eucalyj^tus 
trees and blooming with roses and geraniums. To the 
west of the plaza is the market place, still called by its 
primitive name, Tianquiz (market). Of the public build- 
ings the churches are the more important. In the north- 
east corner of the plaza stands the old Franciscan estab- 
lishment (the monastery, of course, now closed) founded 
prior to 1529. The existing church, dedicated to San 
Gabriel, was finished probably in 1604. Its most notable 
feature is the high altar, a modern construction that cost 
$10,000. Adjoining the church is the chapel of the Ter- 
cer Orden, and the Koyal chapel (capilla real). This lat- 
ter, built because the church — though very large — was 
too small to hold the vast numbers of Indians who came 
to mass, is still known as the capilla de Jos naturales. It 
is a curious structure, now falling into deca}^ the great 
vaulted roof of which is upheld by sixty-four large 
round columns. On the steps of the court is carved the 
date 1G08, while on the stone cross is graven 1660. Prob- 
ably the earlier date refers to the founding of the chapel, 
and the latter to its final completion — much delayed by 
the fact that the first chapel fell down during the night 
succeeding the day of its dedication. Upon the columns 
of the inner court of the monastery are painted the por- 
traits of twelve of the friars who lived here in early times, 
including Fray Miguel Navarro and Fray Juan Osorio. 



286 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

On the northwest corner of the plaza is the church of 
San Pedro Tlatiltenanco, the pary^oquia, erected (prob- 
ably) early in the seventeenth century. There are up- 
ward of twenty other churches in the city, of which sev- 
eral are abandoned ; and also the church of Nuestra 
Senora de los Remedios on top of the Pyramid, and the 
chapel of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, on a natural hill 
west of the city. 

Pyramid of Cholula.^ East of the Cerro de la Cruz, 
separated from it by plantations containing magueys and 
an occasional copal tree, rises the colossal mound to 
which, since the time of Humboldt, the name of Pyramid 
of Cholula has been given. It stands out boldly, with the 
beautiful church of Nuestra Seuora de los Eemedios on 
its summit, almost overshadowing the town of Choliila 
beneath. In close proximity the mound presents the ap- 
pearance of an oblong, conical hill resting on projecting 
platforms of unequal height. At one corner, the tram- 
way has been cut through its stnicture, and at several 
places excavations have been made ; which changes, with 
the gi'owth of vegetation, have somewhat modified its gen- 
eral outhnes as these appeared at the time of the Con- 
quest. This is proved by the earliest pictui'e of the 
mound now preserved — the blazon of the coat of aiTQS, 
of which the mound is a part, granted to the city of Cho- 
lula in the year 1540. Strictly speaking, the existing 

* The account liere given of the mound of Cholula is in part 
a transcript of that published bj Mr. A. F. Bandelier in his " Re- 
port of an Archaeological Tour in Mexico in 1881" (see p. 92), 
a work that no studious traveller in Mexico should be without. 
This account differs in some important particulars from accepted 
high authorities ; but it is used here because it is believed to be 
the highest authority. 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 287 

copy of this blazon is not a picture. It is a sculpture or 
graving in black lava, and is now preserved in one of the 
houses at the corner of the Calles Real and Cbalingo. It 
suggests a four-storied pyramid with a truncated top. 
Overgrown as the mound now is with verdure, and 
partly with trees, and with a fine paved road leading to 
its summit, it looks strikingly like a natural hill, upon the 
slopes of which the washings of the rain have laid bare 
bald bluffs and into which the descending waters have cut 
crevices. However, the several terraces, ii-regularly dis- 
posed in the matter of levels and widths, still may be 
clearly discerned. The lines of the base, including their 
irregular windings, give the following measurements : 
north line, 1,000 ft. ; east line, 1,026 ft. ; south line, 833 
ft. ; west line, 1,000 ft. Ascending the western face of 
the mound, there is a steep ascent, with a vertical rise of 
71|- ft., to the first level, having here an average width of 
213 ft. This level is intersected obliquely by the paved 
road of Spanish construction. The second ascent, with 
a vertical rise of 66 ft., ends at the summit of the mound, 
a polygonal platform paved and surrounded by a fine 
wall. The ascent is made by a stairway (of Spanish con- 
struction) of hewn stone fourteen feet wide. A portal 
with a stone cross inside it forms the landing. Four cy- 
press trees are planted upon this upper plateau, which 
forms a coui't around the church. The length of the pla- 
teau from east to west, approximately, is 203 ft. ; and its 
length from north to south 144 ft. There are two other 
entrances to the upper court, one on the north and the 
other on the south, to which paved roads, not steps, lead. 
The present appearance of the summit is due entirely to 
the Spaniards. There is not a trace of aboriginal work 
upon it. The materials of which the mound is constructed 



MEXICAN GUIDE. 

are earth, broken limestone, little pebbles, and occasional 
particles of lava. The earth is in the form of adobe 
bricks, and also is used as binding material in which the 
bricks are embedded. The bricks are sun-dried, not 
burnt. Limestone broken into slabs was used for steps 
and for the stairways by which the mound was ascended ; 
and pulverized carbonate of lime, mixed with pebbles and 
lava fragments, for the intervening ledges and the coat- 
ing of the stairways. All of these materials were obtained 
near by. The size of the bricks used in the mound vary, 
as does their chemical composition : the one fact point- 
ing to different epochs of construction, the other to vary- 
ing sources whence material for construction was drawn. 
And from these facts the assumption is probable that the 
mound was built slowly, and with labor furnished from 
different localities in its vicinity. From all of which, and 
from other minor facts of a confirmatory nature, Mr. Ban- 
delier draws this general and very reasonable conclusion 
as to the purpose for which the mound was built : " The 
central hill I have desii^'nated as a former mound of wor- 
ship. Its shape and size, as well as tradition and the 
statements of eye-witnesses, agree in confirming this view. 
If we regard it then as such, it stands in reference to the 
other parts of the structure as the centre of a settlement 
on the level ground. If we imagine the plateaux and 
aprons around it covered with houses, possibly of a large 
size, like those of Uxmal and Palenque, or on a scale in- 
termediate between them and the commuoal dwellings 
of Pecos and many other places in New Mexico, we have 
then on the mound of Cholula, as it originally w^as, room 
for a large aboriginal population. The structure accord- 
ingly presents itself as the base of an artificially elevated 
and therefore, according to Indian military art, fortified 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 289 

pueblo." As to the builders of this remarkable mound 
Mr. Bandelier comes no nearer to a positive conclusion 
than a qualified eliminative negative to the effect that 
seemingly it certainly was not built by the Nahuatl, or 
Indians found in possession at the time of the Conquest. 
The authorship of the work therefore may be referred 
either to Olmecs or Toltecs. Upon its top there was 
found by the Spaniards a temple dedicated to Quetzal- 
coatl, which, with characteristic promptitude, they threw 
down, and substituted in its place a Christian temple. 
At a later date the existing church was erected, a hand- 
some building with two towers and a dome that, propor- 
tionately to the size of the building, is unusually large. 

Continuing the journey toward the coast (after return- 
ing to the main line at Apizaco) the steep descent begins 
just below the Boca del Monte (Mouth of the Mountain), 
at which point the elevation above the Gulf is 7,924 feet. 
Within the next 25 miles the line descends to a level of 
4,088 feet — an average of more than 150 feet to the mile. 
In ascending this portion of the road the heavy, " double- 
ender " Fairlie locomotives are used. From Boca del 
Monte to Bota, a distance of eleven miles, the railway is 
built along the mountain side on a terrace cut in the rock, 
whence an outlook is had upon scenery of rare grandeur. 
From the halcon del diablo (the Devil's Balcony) the 
beautiful valley of Lajoya (the Gem), half a mile below 
in a perpendicular line, is seen on the right ; an expanse 
of cultivated country stretching away to an opposite range 
of mountains. The town of Maltrata, with yellow-tiled 
domes and red roofs, presently is seen, and remains in 
view as the train curves around two sides of it in descend- 
ing the mountain. Many little streams come do^vn the 
mountain-side, and in looking back, soon after the de- 
19 



290 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

scent begins, there is seen a fine waterfall. From the 
lower slopes, and from the plain, the snow peak of Ori- 
zaba is seen. At Maltrata, and at the stations thence on- 
ward, tropical fruits may be bought. Beyond Maltrata 
the road enters the narrow defile known as the Infiernillo 
(the Little Hell) at the bottom of which is the swift run- 
ning little river Blanco. Just before reaching Orizaba, 
the Gerro del borrego (Hill of the Lamb) is rounded. On 
this sharp acclivity a small force of French soldiers, on 
the 13th and 14th of June, 1860, repelled the attack of 
a much larger force of Mexicans. 

Orizaba (population 2,000 ; hotels, Bordaand Diligen- 
cias) is a place of some importance because of its manu- 
factures of various kinds, and is resorted to during the 
hot months by the dwellers upon the coast. It contains 
some notable churches, a theatre, a fine market place, and 
a bull-ring ; this last in an ex-convent. A stream flows 
through the city, and near by are several waterfalls. The 
great charm of the place, however, is its magnificent 
mountain scenery. (For the remainder of the journey 
to Vera Cruz see page 72.) 

Morelos Railway (San Lazaro station). Avery pleas- 
ant excursion can be made over this line into a sugar- 
growing, semi-tropical region, lying in the southern por- 
tion of the State of Mexico and in the State of Morelos. 
The scenery in descending from the table-land is ex- 
ceedingly fine. The line passes through a wild mountain- 
ous country, with Popocatepetl always in sight, and with 
far-extending views of the green valleys in the south. 

Take the morning train to Amecameca (see page 263) 
and stop there one day (Hotel Ferro Carril, tolerably 
good food and lodging). Thence on the ensuing morning 
to Cuautla (Gran Hotel de San Diego, good food and clean 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MOEE. 291 

rooms and extortionate charges) ; thence, after one or 
more daj's, return to Mexico. This excursion should 
not be made later than the middle of February. After 
that time there is danger of ague. 

From San Lazaro to Los Reyes the line runs parallel 
with the causeway along which lies the highway to Tlax- 
cala, and for the greater part of this distance parallels 
the railway leading from the Peralvillo station to Texcoco 
and thence to Irolo. Shortly after leaving the station 
the little hill of the Penon, with its church and group of 
houses — mainly for the accommodation of those who go 
there for the hot baths — is seen on the left ; and, beyond 
this. Lake Texcoco. A little later. Lake Chalco is seen on 
the right, the hill of Xico rising from an island in its 
midst. At the station of La Compafiia tramways lead (to 
the west) to Chalco, and (to the east) to Tlalmanalco. 
Until Ozumba (where a very fair breakfast is served in a 
rather slovenly fashion) is reached the grade is upward. 
Just south of Ozumba the descent begins. Its steepest 
portion is in the next ten miles, where the line twists 
backward and forward along the sharp decli\'ity in 
order to obtain a sufficiently easy grade. At several points 
three lines of track are close together at different eleva- 
tions of this curving descent. From Nepantla onward 
the gi^ade is easier, but all the way to Cuautla the road 
is down hill. For a long while during the descent the 
great church of San Miguel in the Indian town of Atla- 
tlahutla, is in sight on the right ; and when the train 
passes south of it the large monastery, now abandoned, 
is seen. The town really is large, but the many straw- 
thatched huts are so small, and so hidden by the trees 
that the great church seems to stand alone. Another 
Indian village further on, Tetetlecingo, is notable for the 



292 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

curious nomenclature of its inhabitants. The mayor is 
named Watermelon, and among the leading families are 
the Scorpions, Squashes, Snakes, Peaches, Fleas, Apri- 
cots, and Spiders! The curious little circular buildings 
of adobe, with conical thatches of straw, frequently seen 
during the descent, are used in some cases as granaries ; 
when a little elevated from the ground, with a place for 
a fire beneath, they are used as vapor baths. Near Ye- 
capixtla, on the left, are seen a number of large trees, 
looking very like open umbrellas. The level regularity 
of their lower branches is due to the cropping of cattle : 
every twig within reach has been eaten away. As Cuau- 
tla is approached the large sugar hacienda of Santa Ines 
is seen on the right. 

Cuautla. There is very little to see here in the way of 
old buildings : a parish church, that has some fine Vene- 
tian mirrors in it ; another church that now is used as a 
railway station, and a few scattered chapels. Moreover, 
the Spanish- built portion of the town is rectangular and 
commonplace. But out in the suburbs are lanes — hedged 
in with banana and orange and other fruit trees — that go 
I'ambling away among gardens, and along which are 
scattered Indian huts, of adobe or of cane, thatched with 
straw. After their kind, nothing more picturesque than 
these Cuautla lanes can be imagined or need be desired. 
Everywhere is running water. East of the town is the 
little river — though nearly all of its water is diverted for 
irrigation, and the great bridge of stone spanning the 
tiny stream suggests the pursuit of a kitten by a loco- 
motive, or any other highly incongruous combination of 
the great and the small. From the bridge there is a fine 
view of the broad valley and the hills beyond, and the 
great peak of Popocatepetl towering in the north. Seen 



EXCURSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 293 

from this, the southern, side, the snow cap is only a tri- 
angular tuft on the western slope. An interesting ex- 
pedition can be made to one of the several sugar hacien- 
das in the vicinity of the town. 

Cuautla-Morelos, as it is officially styled, is renowned 
for its heroic defence by the patriot Morelos during the 
war of the Independence. The Royalist general, Calleja, 
attacked the town February 19, 1812, and was repulsed. 
He then besieged it in form. The siege lasted for 
more than two months and a half, and while neither 
force would risk an attack numerous skirmishes occurred 
during this period. Morelos sought to hold the town 
until the beginning of the rainy season, when the hot, 
wet weather certainly would bring sickness among the 
unacclimated troops from the highlands. But famine 
frustrated this plan. So short of food did the garrison 
become that a cat sold for six dollars, a lizard for two 
dollars, and rats for a dollar a piece. Unable to hold 
out, Morelos successfully evacuated the town. This he- 
roic defence and successful retreat — leadinof to a series 
of brilliant assaults elsewhere by the little army that 
Morelos commanded — did much to inspirit the patriot 
cause. 

From Cuautla the excursion may be continued to 
Yautepec, fourteen miles further south and the present 
terminus of the railroad. In this delightful little town 
all the picturesque features of Cuautla are rejDeated, and 
are increased by advantages of situation which Cuautla 
does not possess. From this point horses may be taken 
to Cuemavaca (a ride of about five hours), and the re- 
turn thence to Mexico made via diligencia. A better 
combination of these two excursions, however, is that 
suggested below. 



294 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

Cuernavaca. A regular line of diligencias plies be- 
tween the City of Mexico and Cuernavaca, leaving the 
city at 6 a.m., on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 
and returning on the following days. The fare each 
way, including an allowance of twenty-five pounds of 
luggage, is $4.50, Mexican money. Seats should be se- 
cured in advance at the general offices of diligencias in the 
rear of the Hotel Yturbide. A rough and uncomfortable 
drive of ^more than two hours can be avoided by taking 
the horse-cars to Tlalpam, and there claiming the re- 
served seats. This journey of a day is a thoroughly 
characteristic bit of diligence travel, with the added ad- 
vantages of following a road that leads through wonder- 
fully fine scenery to a very picturesque and historically 
interesting town — the favorite dwelling place of Cortes, 
and the favorite dwelling place also of Maximilian. 

From Tlalpam the road ascends steadily, and by steep 
grades, the pass between Ajusco and Tapucia — giving a 
fine view northward of the Valley of Mexico, with Tlal- 
pam and the Pedregal in the foreground ; Coyoacan, 
Churubusco and San Angel in a line beyound ; Tacubaya 
and Chapultepec still further ; the City of Mexico in the 
middle distance, and in the background the Guadalupe 
mountains. Afc El Guarda (where breakfast is served), 
an old defensive outpost nearly 10,000 feet above sea- 
level, the highway from Xochimilco and points to the 
eastward, enters the main road by a pass on the eastern 
side of Tapucia. Some distance beyond this point, at 
the Cruz de Marques (where the Marques del Valle de 
Oaxaca, otherwise Cortes, set up a cross to mark the 
northern boundary of his Cuernavaca estate) the long 
descent begins — and does not end until Cuernavaca is 
reached, about 2 p.m. 



EXCUESIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MORE. 295 

Cuernavaca (literally, cow-liom, a corruption of the 
primitive name Quaubnahuac). The valley of this name 
lies at an elevation of nearly four thousand feet above 
sea-level, and, being abundantly watered, is one of the 
most fertile regions in Mexico. It is one of the most 
important sugar-producing districts in the Republic. 
So charming is it in its fresh greenness and fertility that 
the staid and rather prosaic Mr, Brantz Mayer is moved 
by it to exclaim : " The valley of Cuernavaca is one of 
those picturesque regions which are so well calculated 
to bring back a fanciful beholder to the scenes he has 
conjured up in youth while jDcrusing the story of Paul 
and Virginia, or the glowing descriptions of the Arabian 
Nights." This valley was one of the many great estates 
in Mexico bestowed upon Cortes by the Emperor Charles 
V. in 1529. It was upon this estate that the last years 
of the Conqueror's life in Mexico were passed, and by 
him the cultivation of the cane was here introduced. 

The town of Cuernavaca (Hotel de Diligencias), at al- 
most precisely 4,000 feet above the sea, is built upon a 
headland that projects into the valley between two steep 
barrancas, or ravines. Being plentifully supplied with 
water, the whole town is a garden, and is almost buried 
in abundant masses of trees. The notable buildings are 
the house in which the Conqueror dwelt, set close upon 
the edge of the ravine and commanding a far-extending 
view over the yellow-green cane-fields ; the church that 
he founded, and the several other churches of the town ; 
the many fine old houses built in later times by rich 
sugar-planters, and the house built by the richer miner, 
Laborde. The grounds laid out by Laborde around his 
home in Cuernavaca were a perfect fairy land ; and even 
now, after suffering partial decay and also suffering par- 



296 MEXICAT?- GUIDE. 

tial restoration, they are very beautiful. They are known 
now as the Jardin de Borda, and admission to them is 
had on payment of a small fee. A very interesting ex- 
pedition from Cuernavaca may be made to one of the 
many sugar haciendas in the vicinity. Several of these 
are worthy of note because of their antiquity — as that of 
Temisco, a great building in the old Spanish style erected 
soon after the Conquest. Indeed, one very great charm 
of this delightful town and its surroundings is the flavor 
everywhere of age. 

From Cuernavaca an interesting, but rather rough, 
expedition of eighteen miles on horseback may be made 
to the ruins of Xochicalco. These, regarded variously 
as remnants of a temple or a fortress, surmount a rocky 
eminence nearly two miles in circumference. Their 
most important feature is a portion of a well-constructed 
stone building that measures seventy-six by sixty-eight 
feet. A still rougher expedition, of three or four days, 
may be made to the famous caves of Cacahuamilpa, 
about forty -five miles to the south. 

The return to Mexico may be made by the diligencia, or 
by hiring horses and riding across to Yautepec, and thence 
by rail. (See theMorelos Eailway.) The ride is through 
the beautiful sugar country, with magnificent mountain 
scenery constantly in sight. But it must not be undertaken 
rashly ; for it is a hot ride, and lasts at least five hours. 

Ascent of Popocatepetl. Amecameca (see page 
263), is the starting point from the Morelos Eailway in 
making the ascent of the volcano. Leaving Mexico on 
the morning train this town is reached in about three 
hours. Here provisions can be purchased — though it 
is better to obtain in Mexico before starting the nec- 
essary supply for three days — and guides and horses 



EXCUKSIONS OF TWO DAYS AND MOEE. 297 

hired. A note from General Ochoa, the owner of Popo- 
catepetl, will greatly facilitate these arrangements ; as 
well as a cordial reception by his agents at the sul- 
phur works on the mountain. The first night is passed 
at General Ochoa's rancho, Tlamacas, at an elevation of 
13,000 feet. On the ensuing morning the ascent should 
be begun at a very early hour ; on horse-back to the 
snow-hne, and thence upward on foot. The descent 
into the crater can be made by means of the bucket and 
windlass used by the sulphur-gatherers. This expedi- 
tion is a very exhausting one and should be undertaken 
only by strong persons in good health. It is especially 
perilous to those suffering from affections of the heart. 
Its discomforts are manifold. The sulphur rancho con- 
sists of a draughty shelter and a terribly bad smell ; the 
walk upward through the snow is a severe physical 
strain. The more necessary preparations for the ascent 
are : hght but warm woollen clothing, including woollen 
mittens ; cotton cloth swathings for the feet ; an outfit 
of thick blankets — which are not to be had at Tlamacas, 
and w^hich the severe cold at night renders indispen- 
sable ; smoked glasses and plenty of nourishing food. 

Pachuca and Real del Monte. From Irolo a 
branch hne, timed to make connections each way with 
the Vera Cruz railway, extends to Pachuca, a distance of 
37 miles. Pachuca (hotels: Baiios (English), Diligen- 
cias, Yturbide) is not especially interesting in itself, but 
near it (three miles distant) are the famous Eeal del 
Monte mines, upon which, probably, more money has 
been spent than upon any mines in Mexico — $20,000,000 
was invested here by the English company, with a re- 
turn of $16,000,000. One of the sights of the place is 
the structural work, notably the road up the mountain. 



298 MEXICAN GUIDE. 

into wHch most of this ill-spent English money went. 
In keeping with these substantial and very costly works 
are those at Kegla — about ten miles distant — erected by 
Pedro Terreros, Conde de Regla, to whom all of this 
enormously valuable mining property originally belonged. 
Apart from the interesting features of these mines, the 
scenery in their vicinity is very fine — notably at Eegia, 
where there is a caiion of basaltic formation in which is a 
waterfall. Taking Pachuca for a base, several days can 
be very pleasantly spent in making short expeditions 
into the picturesque region that surrounds the town. 

Mountain Altitudes- In the following table are 
given the names, locations, and altitudes (in metres, fol- 
lowing the figures of Senor Garcia Cubas) of the piinci- 
pal mountains in Mexico : 

Popocatepetl, States of Mexico and Vera Cruz 5425 

Orizaba, or Citlaltepetl, State of Vera Cruz 5295 

Ixtacciliuatl, States of Mexico and Puebla 4900 

Nevado de Toluca, or Xinantecatl, State of Mexico 4578 

Nevado de Colima, State of Jalisco 4378 

Ajusco, Federal District 4153 

Matlalcueyatl, or Malintzi, State of Tlaxcala 4107 

Cofre de Perote, or Naucliampatepetl, State of Vera Cruz. . 4089 

Yolcan de Colima, State of Jalisco 3884 

Pico de Tancitaro, State of Miclioacan 3860 

Cerro Patamban, State of Miclioacan 3750 

Zempoaltepec, State of Oaxaca 3396 

Los Llanitos, State of Guanajuato 3360 

Pico de Quinceo, State of Michoacan 3324 

Gigante, State of Guanajuato 3250 

Cerro Culiacan. State of Guanajuato 3246 

Las Navajas, State of Hidalgo 3212 

Veta Grande, State of Zacatecas 2786 

Cumbre de Jesus Maria, State of Chibuahua 2511 

Cerro del Proano, State of Zacatecas 2368 



INDEX. 



AcACHiNANCO, calzada, 216 
Academy of the Fine Arts, 86 
Acambaro, bridge, 270 

town, 270 
Acapulco, steamer to, 19 
Acosta, Benito Leon, aeronaut, 59 
Acuiia, tomb of, 118 
Adobe^ painting on, 180 
Agricultural School, 188 
Aguas Calientes, town, 55 
Agustin, San, church, 141 

de las Cuevas, town, 247 
Ahuitzotl, effigy, 237 
Aiusco, height of, 297 
Aiaman, L., agent estates Cortes, 

179 
Alameda, La, 213 
Albuquerque, town, 53 
Alcibar, paintings by, 106, 118 
Alhondiga de Granaditas, 57 
Aldama, executed, 53 

head exposed, 57 

head buried. 105 
Allende, birthplace of, 276 

executed, 5o 

head exposed, 57 

head buried, 105 
Altata, steamer to, 19 
Altitudes, Mex. Cent. Railway, 11 

of Mountains, 298 
Alvarado, leap of, 226 

relics of, 100 
Alvarez, hospital founded by, 193 
Ambassadors, Hall of the, 80 
Amecameca, town, 263 
American cemetery, 225 
Ana, Sta, church, 119 
Andres, San, Hospital, 197 
Angel, San, town, 241 
Angeles, Los, church, 180 
Animas, cap ilia de las, 106 



Anita, Santa, town, 254 

Ant-hill, The, 249 

Antonio, San, abad, chapel, 153 

abad, tiled chapel, 246 

de las huerias, 114 

miraculous image, 115 
Apam, Plain of, 277 
Aparicio, Sebastian de, bcato, 283 
Apostles, Twelve, of .Mexico, 125 
Aqueduct, aboriginal, 2(32 

of Zempoala, 277 
Aqueducts, City of Mexico, 218 
Aranzazii, brotherhood, 203 

church, 131 
Arbeu, Francisco, 206, 207 
Arbeu Theatre, 207 
Ai'bol benito^ legend of the, 241 

de la noche triste, 248 
Archbishop, energetic, 107 

first, of Mexico, 101 
Archbishops, portraits of, 106 
Arch, flat, 283 
Archiepxscopal palace, 81 
Archives, National, 80 
Army, headquarters of the, 80 
Arquitectos, suburb, 74 
Ai-roba, weight, 25 
Arzobispado, 81 
Astronomical bureau, 80 

observatory, 240 
Asylum, Foundling, 199 

for the Poor, 200 
Atlatlahutla, town, 291 
Atotonilco, Santuario de, 277 
Atoyac, river, 279 
Atzcapotzalco, town, 249 
Auto (iefe, ceremonial of, 139 

first in Mexico, 138 
Ayuntamiento, Palace of, 75 

burned, 209 
Aztec kings, 249 



300 



INDEX. 



Bahia de la Magdalena, str. to, 19 

Bajio, El, region, 59 

Bala, Xuestra Sra. de la, 178 

Balcoii del JJiablo, :289 

Ball, Our Lady of the, 178 

Balvanera, La, church, 159 

Banco Nacional, 2:J4 

Bandelier, books on Mexico, 02, 99 

Banner, procession of the, 144 

Barefooted nuns, 166 

Baths in City of Mexico, 30 

at San Miguel, 276 
Seaterio, definition of, 275 

at San Miguel, 275 

of the Santisima, 181 
Beato, Sebastian de Aparicio, 283 
Beer, Mexican, 22 
Beggar of the Viga Canal, 256 
Belen de los Padres, chiu'ch, 48 
Belen, prison, 78 
Belgium, Legation of, 38 
Bell and Lancaster, system of, 189 
Bells, names of, 102 
Benedictines of Monserrate, 151 
Beneficencia, La, schools of, 189 
Benevente, Fra^^ Toribio de, 126 
Benevolent Society, schools of, 189 
Bergantiyies^ 74, 260 
Bemabe', San, mine. 57 
Bernardino, Juan, 227 
Bernardo, San, church, 171 
Betlemitas, church, 155 
Betlemitas, library, 156 
Biblioteca, Betlemitas, 86 

del Cinco de Mayo, 86 

Nacional, 83 
Biscaj^an foundations, 131, 203 
Bishop, first of Mexico, 101 
Bias, San, steamer to, 19 
Blind, school for the, 204 
Boarding-houses, 29 
Boats on Viga Canal, 253 
Boca del Monte, elevation, 289 
Bolson de Mapimi, region, 53 
Bonitas, Las, 175 
Books, second-hand, 78 
Borda, Jardin de, 296 
Brasero of the Liquisition, 138 
Bric-a-brac, bargains in, 203 

hunting, 78 
Bridge, Acambaro, 270 

Encarnacion, 56 

]Metlac, 73 

National, 72 
" Brigantines," 74, 260 



Brigida, Sta., church, 173 
Bronze casting, 219 
Brothers of Charity, 193 

of St. John, 152 
Bucareii, aqueduct built by, 218 

Paseo de, 215 

tomb of, 233 
Buenaventura, San, college, 135 
Bufa, La., hill, 54 
Buffalo, Bishop Tymon of, 58 
Buildings, notable, 222 
Bull-fights, 207 

Burgos, el Senor de, church, 130 
Bustaraante, town, 64 
Butchers, festival of the, 130 

Cabo San Lucas, steamer to, 19 
Cacahuamilpa, caves of, 296 
Cajoncitos de Sa?i Jose, 309 
Calendar Stone, The, 92 
Calera, town, 54 
Calle de los ATuertos, 259 
CaUes of City of Mexico, 39-48 
Calzada de Acachinanco, 316 

de S. Antonio Abad, 216 

Nueva, 217 

de la Piedad, 317 

de Tepeyac, 216 

de Tlacopan, 216 
Camara de Diputados, 80 
Camilists, 157 
Camilo, San, church, 157 
Campeche, town, 66 
Canal, Viga, 253 
Canned meats, 21 
Capilla del Cerrito, 233 

del Pocito, 234 
Capuchinas, 172 

de Guadalupe, 235 
Cardonal, Santo Cristo de, 169 
Caridad, La, chapel, 176 
Carlos, San, Academy of, 86 
Carlotta, hospital founded by, 198 
Carmelites, 150 
Carmen, El, church, 150 

town, steamer to, 19 
Casa de azulejos, 224 

de Correos (post-office), 80 

de los Mascarones, 223 

de moneda (mint), 81 

de recoleccion, 114 

de salud, 199 
Casas de huespedes, 29 
Castaneda, architect, 103 

tivoli, 34 



INDEX. 



301 



Cat, clerical looking, 235 

white bread for, 255 
Cats for food, 293 
Catalina de Sena, Sta, 163 
Catarina Martir, Sta, church, 119 
Cathedral of City of Mexico, 101 

of Puebla, 280 
Catholic Society, schools of, 100 

Theolog. Seminary, 157, 189 
Causeways (see Valzadas) 
Caves at Cacahuamilpa, 296 

at Garcia, 65 
Cazadero, plain of the, 61 
Celaya, town, 27'3 
Cemetery of the Piedad, 253 
Cemeteries (panteones), 225 
Ccr7-o del Borrego, fight of, 290 

del Sefior, mountain, 270 
Chac-Mool, 98 
Chalco, boats to, 256 

tramway to, 291 
Chamber of Deputies, 80 
Chamela, steamer to, 19 
Champoton, steamer to, 19 
Chapel of the Martyrs, 143 
Chapultepec, 236 

aqueduct from, 218 

storming of, 239 
Charitable institutions, 190 
Charities, various, 204 
Chaxity, Brothers of, 193 

Sisters of, 175 
Charles IV., statue of, 219 
Chihuahua, city, 52 
Chimalpopoca, Aztec king, 249 
Christ, head of, fresco, 243 

thorns from crown of, 284 
Choir of San Agustin, 142 
Cholula, town, 285 

pyramid, 286 
Church of Jesus in Mexico, 38 
Churches in the City of Mexico : 

Ana, Sta, 119 

Animas, chapel, 106 

Antonio Abad, San, 153 

Balvanera, La. 159 

Belen de los Padres, 148 

Bernardo, San, 171 

Brigida, Sta, 173 

Camilo, San (Seminario), 157 

Caridad, La, 175 

Carmen, El, 150 

Catalina de Sena, Sta, 163 

Catarina Martir, Sta, 119 

Cathedral, 101 



Churches in the City of Mexico t 

Clara, Sta, 159 

Colegio de Ninas, 156 

Concepcion, La, 157 

Corpus Christi, l';2 

Cosme, San, 114 

Cruz Acatlan, Sta, 113 

Cruz y Soledad, Sta, 113 

Diego, San, 149 

Domingo, Sto, 136 

Encarnacion. La, 164 

Ensefianza, La, 174 

Fernando, San, 156 

Felipe de Jesus, San, 131 

Francisco, San, 124 

Geronimo, San, 161 

Hipolito, San, 142 

Hospital Real (Protestant), 191 

Ines,Sta(SagradoCorazon),165 

Jesus Maria, 160 

Jesus Nazareno, 176 

Jose', San, 120 

Jose de Gracia, San, 166 

Juan de Dios, San, 152 

Juan de la Penitencia, S., 162 

Lazaro, San, 152 

Lorenzo, San, 165 

Loreto, 144 

Maria de los Angeles, Sta, 180 

Maria la Redonda, Sta, 111 

Miguel, San, 120 

Monseirate, 151 

Pablo. San, 110 

Palma, Santo Tomas la, 114 

Pedro S. and S. Pablo, 144 

Porta Coeli, 137 

Profesa, La, 153 

Regina Coeli, 120 

Sagrario, 108 

Salto del Agua, 183 

Santiago Tlaltelolco, 135 

Santisima, La, 181 

Sagrado Corazon (Sta. Li^s), 
165 

Sebastian, San, 111 

Seminario (San Camilo), 157 

Soledad, chapel, 110 

Teresa la Antigua, Sta, 167 

Teresa la Nueva, Sta, 171 

Tomas la Palma, Sto, 114 

Trinidad, 38 

Vera Cruz, Sta, 112 
Churches, independent, 176 

Protestant, 38, 124, 166. 191 

Protestant, services in, 38 



802 



INDEX. 



Churrigueresque, definition of, 108 

facade, 182 
Churubusco, 245 

battle monument, 247 
Cinco de Mayo, avenue, 155 

battle, 279 

library, 8fi 

picture, 80 
Circus, 207 

Cistercian convent, 171 
City Hall (Diputacion), 75 
Ciudadela, 81 
Clara Maria, Indian, 148 
Clara, Santa, church, 159 
Clave, Peiegrin, architect, 154 
Clothing for Mexican, 21 
Coastwise lines, 19 
Coffee growing, 73 
Cofre de Perote, mountain, 71 

height of, 298 
Cohuatepantli, snake-wall, 96 
Coins, value of Mexican, 23 
Colegio de las bonitas, 175 

de San Ignacio, 203 

de las Inditas, 175 

de la Paz, 203 

de San Yldefonso, 187 
Collegiate church, definition, 283 
Columban, San, bones of, 275 
Comonf ort and Franciscans, 133 

tomb of, 225 
Columbus monument, 221 
Commercial college, 189 
Compania de Jesus, 144 

de Maria, 174 
Concepcionistas, order of, 157 
Concepcion, La, church, 157 
Concerts, 207 
Congregation of S. Felipe Neri, 154 

of S. Vincent de Paul, 144 
Congress, Mexican, 80 
Conservator] o de Musica, 184, 307 
Consolacion, Nstra Sra, image, 1 18 
Conspiracy of Franciscans, 133 
Cora, carvings by, 281, 282, 284 
Cordero, pimtings by, 161, 171 
Cordoba, town, 72 
Corpus Christi, church, 172 
Correa, paintings by, 105, 106 
Correos, Casa de (post-oflfice), 80 
Cortes, church founded by, 176 

cross raised by, 244 

estate in City of Mexico, 79 

estate in Cuernavaca, 294 

favorite abode of, 294 



Cortes, hospital founded by, 190 

house of, in Coyoacan, 243 

landing of, 69 

Marques del Valle, 294 

meeting with Montezuma, 216 

tomb of, 179 

Dr. P. A., philanthropist, 200 
Cosme, San, church, 114 
Costa Rica, Legation of, 38 
Council, first Mexican, 132 
Coyoacan, town, 243 

causeway to, 216 
Crazed men, hospital for, 192 

women, hospital for, 196 
Crimes punished by Inquisition, 

139 
Cristobal, Dyke of San, 265 
Crooked church, 146 
Cruces, Las, battlefield, 370 
Cruz, Santa, College of, 135 
Cruz Acatlan, Sta, church, 113 
Cruz, Juana Inez de la, 162 
Cruz, M. de la, iron work by, 281 
Cruz del Marques, boundary, 294 
Cruz y Soledad, Sta, 113 
Cuauhtemotzin, see Guatimotzin 
Cuauhxicalli de Tizoc, 94 
Cuautla, railway to, 18 

siege of, 293 

town, 293 
Cuatepec, town, 71 
Cuatlenchan, town, 263 
Cuernavaca, town, 294 
Custom House regulations, 20 
Cuna, La, 199 

Dead, Street of the, 359 
Deaf and dumb, school for, 804 
Dehesa, statue of, 331 
Descalzos^ Francisca7ws, 116 
Desamparados, NuestraSra. delos, 

195 
Desierto, The, 356 
Desierto, aqueduct from, 318 
Devil's balcony, 389 
Diaz, victories gained by, 53, 379 
Diego, Juan, Indian, 326 
Diego, San, church, 149 
Dieguinos, Mexican order, 116 
Diligence, lines, 7, 12, 16, 34, 53, 

56, 66, 294 
Diputacion (City Hall), 75 

burned, 209 
Direccion General^ 80 
Divino Salvador, Hospital del, 196 



INDEX. 



303 



Dolores, cemetery, 225 

revolutionary rising at, 276 
Dome, most perfect in Mexico, 273 

of Santa Teresa, 170 
Domingo, Santo, church, 136 
Dominicans and Inquisition, 139 

in Mexico, 136 
Drainage, 75, 265 
Durango, stage line to, 13, 53 
Dutiable luggage, 20 
Dyke of San Cristobal, 265 

Earthquakes, 121, 154, 157, 163 
Education, statistics of, 183 
Elevations above sea-level, 11 
El Moro, town, 51 
El Paso, town, 57 
Encarnacion, bridge, 56 

church, 164 
Enchanted fountain, 251 
English cemetery, 225 
Enseiiada Todos Santos, str. to, 19 
Ensenanza Antigua, 174 

Nueva, 174 
Episcopal Church, 38 
Escuela de Agricultura, 188 

de Artes y Oficios, 204 

de Comercio, 189 

Correccional, 204- 

de Jurisprudencia, 164, 189 

de Medicina, 187 

Preparatoria, 187 
Espiritu Santo, ex-church, 144 
Eulalia, Santa, mine, 53 
Evangelio, promncia^ 126 
Exports by steamer and rail, 70 
Express, baggage, 26 

offices, 34 
Eye Hospital, 197 

Fairlie locomotives, 289 
Fashionable church, 174 
Feathered snake emblem, 96 
Fees to servants, 22 
Felipas, pious women, 162 
Felipe de Jesus, San, 172 

church, 131 

novitiate of, 284 

relics of, 105 
Felipe Neri, S. , cong. of, 154 
Felipenses, 154 
Fernando, San, church, 156 

cemetery, 225 
Fiddling kings, fountain, 224 
Fifth of May, anniversary, 275 



Fighting monks, 147 
Filarmonica, Sociedad, 207 
Fine arts, Academy of the, 86 
Fire-extinguisher, sanctified, 208 
Fire, god of, 98 

quenched by holy image. 111 
Flanders tapestry, 282 
Flat arch, 282 
Flores, Molino de, 262 
Flower festival on Viga, 214 

market, 77 
Foreign legations, 37 
Forsaken, Our Lady of tiie, 195 
Foundling asylum (La Vuna), 199 

extinct, 195 
Fourth of July celebration in 1615, 

168 
France, legation of, 38 
Franciscan mission, first, 260 

order, 125 

provinces, 126 
Franciacanas UrhanUtas, 166 
Franciscans, first missionaries, 125 

suppression of, 134 
Francisco, San, boundaries, 128 

church, 124, 128^ 

conspiracy in, 133 

Protestant church, 134 
French cemetery, 225 

defeat at Puebla, 275 
Fresnillo, town, 54 
Frontera, town, 66 
Furnished rooms, 29 

Gachftpina^ La, 267 
Gage, Thomas, friar, 256 
Gambling festival, 248 
Gante, Fray Pedro de, 126 

callede, 132, 134 

chapel, San Jose, 120, 133 

first mission of, 260 

parish churches, 107, 120 

statue of, 221 
Garcia, caves at, 65 
Garden Laborde, 295 
Garita de la Viga, 254 
Gerdnimo, San, church, 161 
Gloves at Irapuato, 59 
Goddess, Xicaca, 263 
God of Fire, 98 
Government, municipal, 76 
Granaditas, alhdndiga de, 57 
Grant, Gen., in church tower, 115 

lodgings of in Mexico, 186 

on Mexican War, 339 



304 



INDEX. 



Grant, Gen., at Molino del Rey,239 
Grasshoppers, miracle of, 68 
Gregorio, San, chapel of, 145 
Grijalva, 69 

Guadalajara, stage to, 12, 56 
Guadalupe, banner of, 277 

causeways to, 217 

cemetery of, 225 

church of, 231 

festivals of, 230 

-Hidalgo, town of, 236 

-Hidalgo, treaty of, 236 

rebel war-cry, 229 

Virgin of, 226 

suburb of Zacatecas, 54 
Guanajuato, city, 57 
Guarda, El, outpost, 294 
Guatemala, legation of, 38 
Guatimotzin, bust of, 214 

monument to, 221 

treasures of, 251 
Guaymas, railway to, 11 

steamer to, 19 
Guerrero, monument to, 215 

statue of, 222 

tomb of, 225 

suburb of Mexico, 74 
Guides and interpreters, 30 

Handkerchief, the Virgin's, 284 
Harvard Medical School, 192 
Havana, city, 66 

sta.y at, 3 
Head of Christ, fresco, 243 
Heads of snakes in stone, 95 
" HeU, Little," 290 
Hercules cotton mills, 61 
Hermanos de la Caridad, 193 
Hidalga, architect, 104 
Hidalgo, execution of, 53 

head exposed, 57 

head buried, 105 

relics of, 100 

portrait of, 80 

statue of, in Toluca, 268 
Hipdlito, San, church, 142 

San, Hospital, 192 

San, Tianquis de, 213 
Hipolitos, 194 
Honduras, Legation of, 38 
Hospicio de Pobres, 200 
Hospital, American needed, 199 

Carlotta founded, 198 

for crazed men, 192 

for crazed women, 196 



Hospital, del Divine Salvador, 196 

Eye, 197 

French, 199 

Jesus Nazareno, 190 

Leper, 152 

Lying-in, 198 

de Maternidad, 198 

Mestizos, for, 195 

Militar, 199 

Morelos, 194 

Municipal Juarez, 153, 197 

poor Indians, for, 191 

Real, 191 

de San Andres, 197 

de San Hipdlito, 193 

de San Juan de Dios, 194 

de San Lucas, 199 

de San Pablo, 197 

Spanish, 199 

treatment, improvement, 195 
Hotels in City of Mexico, 26 
Huitzilopochtli, idol, 93 

temple of, 245 

Ibarra, paintings by, 58, 281 
Ignacio Loyola, San, 144 

Colegio de San, 203 
Ildefonso, see Yldefonso 
Image esteemed by married wo- 
men, 178 
Independencia, street, 133 
Independent churches, 176 
Indian girls, college for, 175 

convent for, 172 
Indio Triste, statue of, 95 
Ines, Sta. (Sagrado Corazon) 

church, 165 
Innernillo El, 290 
Inquisition, The, 137 

crimes punished by, 139 

suppression of, 140 
Interoceanic Railway time table,18 
Interpreters and guides, 30 
Inundation, the great, 265 
Irapuato, strawberries at, 59 
Irolo Railway time table, 18 
Iron grating at Puebla, 281 
Isabel, Sta, see Ysabel, Sta 
Isidro, San, to SaltiUo, 16 

stage line, 53 
Islas, the brothers, sculptors, 223 
Italy, Legation of, 38 
Iburbide, see Yturbide 
Ivory carving of the Virgin, 281 
Ixtacalco, town, 254 



INDEX. 



305 



Ixtaccihuatl, height of, 298 
Ixtapalapan, causeway to, 216 

Jacinto, San, Hacienda de, 188 
Jalap, drug, 72 
Jalapa, town, 70 

railway to, 18 
Jaspeado, R., antiquarian, 261 
Jesuits, arrival, 144 

churches, 153 

colleges, 188 

hospital, 196 
Jesus Maria, church, 160 
Jesus Nazareno, church, 176 

hospital, 190 

image, 177 
Jilotepec, town, 71 
Jimenez, execution of, 53 

head exposed, 57 

head buried, 105 
John, Brothers of St., 152 
Jose, San, church, 120 

de los Naturales, 121, 132 

de Gracia, San, church, 166 

el Real, church, 153 
Journey to Mexico, 51 
Juan Capistrano, S., college, 135 

Diego, Indian, 226 

de Dios S,, church, 152 

de Dios S., hospital, 194 

de la Penitencia, S., church, 
162 

Teotihuacan, S., ruins, 257 

de Ulua, S., fort, 68 
Juaninos, hospitallers, 195 
Juarez, Hospital Municipal, 197 

monument, 222 
Jurisprudence, School of, 189 
Justicia, Palacio de, 81, 174 

Kilometres and miles, 25 

Laborde, garden of, 295 

Lacquered ware of Uruapan, 272 

Lagos, stage connections at, 56 

Laguna, La, region, 53 

La Joya Valley, 289 

Lampazos, town, 63 

Lancasterian Society, 189 

La Paz, steamer to, 19 

Laredo, town, 63 

Las Casas, statue of, 221 

Las Cruces, battlefield, 270 

Las Vegas Hot Springs, 5 

Latin, Logic, and Philosophy, 135 

" Laughing HUl, The," 261 



Law School, 164, 189 
Lazaro, San, ciiurch, 152 

hospital, 152 

primitive chapel, 114 
Leather manufactures, 56 
Legations, foreign, 37 
Legend of the arbol benito, 241 

of Cortes, 244 

of Enchanted Fountain, 251 

of the Malinche, 250 
Legua, long measure, 24 

square measure, 25 
Leon, city, 56 
Leper hospital, 152 
Lerdo, town, 53 
Lerma, valley of the, 273 
Library, Betlemitas, 86 

Cinco de Mayo, 86 

National, 83 
Libraries, circulating, 30 
Lightning, saintly guard, 284 
Lodgings in City of Mexico, 29 
Lopez, philanthropist, 152, 195 
Loreto, church, 144 

Santa Casa at S. Miguel, 274 
Lorenzana, asylum founded by, 199 
Lorenzo, San, church, 105 
Louis, Saint. Hospital, 199 
Liicas, San, Hospital, 199 
Luis Potosl, San, stage to, 12, 56 
Lunch basket, 20 
Lutherans burned, 140 
Luz, Nstra. Sra. de la, image, 56 
Lying-in hospital, 198 

Macao, railings made in, 104 
Malinche, legend of, 250 
Maltrata, town, 289 
Afancera, villa de, 114 
Manco-Capac, 96 
Manzanillo, steamer to, 19 
Marchena, statue of, 221 
Maria, Sta, suburb of Mexico, 74 

Sta, la Redonda, church, 111 
Marina, La, 244 
Market, Flower. 77 
Markets, City of Mexico, 76 
Martinez, Enrico, engineer, 264 

monument to, 212 
Martyrs, chapel of the, 143 
Mascarojies, cam de los, 223 
Masses, 45,107, 324 
Maternidad, Hospital de, 198 
Matamoras, execution of, 273 

town, stage line, 53 



306 



IXDEX. 



iaru esecntion ol 61 

favorite abode of, 294 

relics ot IW 
Mayor, Plaza. 20S 
Mazatlan, steamer to, 19 
Measures, Mexican and U. S., 24 
Medical college, 192 

school, l^T 
Meiia, execution of, 61 
2/tdio real, value of, 24 
Men, schools for, 204 
Merc-ados, Citv of Mexico, 76 
Merced, Mercado de, 14S 

Xuestra Seiiora de la, 146 
Merida, town, 67 
Mesa de los Cartujanos, 63 
Meteorological Bureau, SO 
Methodist Episcopal Church, 38 
Metlac. rapine of, 73 
Mexicalcingo, town, 255 
Mexican Financier, The, 31 
Mexican money, weights, etc., 23 
Mexican Cent. Rwy. system, 5 

stage connections, 12 

time-tables. 9 

townson line of, 51-63 
Mexican XatL Rwy. excursion, 269 

stage connections, 16 

system, 5 
. time-tables. 13 
Mexican rVera Cruz) Rwy., built, 5 

excursion, 72. 277 

time-tables. 17 
Mexican railway lines. 5 
Mexico, City of, climate. 73 

captured by Diaz, 52 

drainage, 75 

government, 76 

history, 73 

markets, 76 

reoccupied by Juarez, 53 
" Michel Angelo of Mexico," 274 
3Iiguel, San, church, 120 
Miguel de Allende, S., town, 274 
Mineria, La, 1S5 
Mint. SI 

Mirador de la Alameda, street, 166 
^Miraculous dropping of water, 15-S 
Miraculous images,''ll5, 11 S, 163, 
169, 17S, ISO; 22^, 252, 2S3, 
2S4 
Miramon, execution of, 61 

tomb of, 225 
Mitras. mountain of the, 64 
Militarv Academv, 239 



Military Hospital, 199 
Mixcoac. village, 241 
Mohno de Flores, 262 

del Rey. 239 
Money, Mexican and IT. S. , 23 
Moneda, Casa de {Mm.t), SI 
Monserrate, Brotherhood of, 151 

Xuestra Senora de, church, 151 
Monte de Piedad, 201 
Monterey, city. 64 
Montes Clares, aqueduct btult, 218 
Mont-ezuma. meeting Corte's, 216 
''Montezuma's Batli" 261 

•* new house," 79 
Montezuma IL . shield of, 99 
Monument to Ahuitzotl, 237 

Columbus. 221 

Charles IT.. 219 

Guatimotzin. 214, 221 

Guerrero. 215, 222 

Juarez. 222 

Martinez, 213 

Morelos. 222 

Xetzahualcoyotl, 260 
Monuments, 219 
Moon and Sun, pyramids of, 257 
Moreiia, city, 271 
Morelos. birthplace, 271 

defence of Cuautla, 293 

execution of, 141 

portrait of. 271 

relics of, 2^71 

statue of. 223 

trial of, by Inqtusition, 141 
Morelos, Hospital d?, 194 

Railway excursion, 290 

Railway time-table, 18 
Mother vein (yet a madre), 57 
Motolinia, Fray, 126 
Mountain altitudes, 298 
Moyotla. quarter of city called, 163 
Mrmicipal Hospital, 153. 197 
Murillo, paintings by. 106 
Mu^a Mexican a. La, 163 
Museo Xacional. 91 
Museum, National, 91 
Miisica, Conservatorio de, 1S4, 207 
Munoz, wood-carving by, 281 

XjlHVatl manuscripts, 62 
Xames. curious surnames, 293 
National Bank, 224 

Bridge, 72 

Library, 83 

Palace, 79 



INDEX. 



307 



National Palace burned, 309 
N^titurales, iS. JoS'- de los, 132 
Netzahualcoyotl, 249, 259 

bust of, 260 
Nevado de Toluca, height of, 297 
Newspapers in City of Mexico, 31 
Noche triste, arbol de la, 248 

monument, 143 

retreat of the, 143 
Nochistongo, Tajo de, 03, 264 
Norefia, statue of Guerrero by, 232 
Nuevo, Paseo. 215 
Nun, daughter of Philip 11. , 161 

poetess, 162 
Nuns, barefooted, 166 

Oaxaca, Marques del Valle de, 

294 
Obispado, storming of the, 65 
Old books, 78 
Onyx, Puebla, 281 
Oratorians, 154 
Orizaba, height of, 297 

town, 290 
Otumba, battle at, 277 
Ox-cart post, 283 
Orozco y Berra, history by, 99 

Pablo, San, church, 110 

hospital, 197 
Pachuca, to^\^l, 298 
Palacio del Ayuntamiento, 75 

del Ayuntamiento burned, 209 

de Justicia, 174 

Nacional, 79 

Nacional btirned, 209 
Palma, Tomas la, Sto, 114 
Panteones (cemeteries), 225 
Parian, buUt, 210 

sacking of the, 211 
Parish churches, 107 

church, first, 107 
Pascual, San Pedro, 149 
Paseo de Bucareli, 215 

Nuevo, 215 

del pendon,, 144 

de la Reforma, 215 

de la Viga, 214 
Paso del Norte, J uarez in, 51 

town, 51 
Passports, 19 
Pdtzcuaro, town, 272 
Pawn-shop, National, 201 
Paz, Colegio de la, 203 
Peace with U. S. ratified, 61 



Pedregal, The, 344 

Pedro Pascual, S., extinct coll., 149 

Philharmonic Society, 207 

Pendon, Pciseo del, 144 

Penol, or Penon, baths, 291 

Penitentiary, East., of Penna., 272 

Piati, statue by, 223 

Picture writings, 99 

Piedad, La, cemetery, 252 

Monte de, 201 
Plazas of City of Mexico, 39-48 
Plaza Mayor, 208 

de Seminario, 212 

de Toros, 207 
Pocito, cap ilia del, 234 
Poetess, Juana de la Cruz, 162 
Pojouaque, ranch, 5 
Poor, asylum for, 200 
Popocatepetl, ascent of, 296 

height of, 298 
Popotla, village, 248 
Porta Coeli, church, 137 
Portales, shopping in, 78 
Portraits of celebrities, 76, 80, 106 
Post Office {casa de correos), 80 
Preparatory school, 187 
Presbyterian mission. 193 
Presidency, chambers of, 80 
Pretty girls, college for, 175 
Prison, military, 135 
Prisons, 78 
Proano mine, 54 
Procession of the Banner, 144 
Profesa, La, church, 153 
Progreso. stay at, 3 

town, 66 
Protestant churches, 38 
Province Santo Evangelic, 126 
Puebla, battles of, 279 

city, 278 

marble (onyx), 281 

railway to, 51 
Puente Nacional, 73 
Pulque, 21 

of Apam, 277 

at Texcoco, 259 
Pyramids of Sun and Moon, 257 

Quemadero, 138, 213 
Queretaro City, 59 
Quetzalcoatl, myth of, 97 
font, 113 

Railway, Irolo, 18 
Morelos, 18 



308 



I]S"DEX. 



Railways in Mexico, 5 

time-tables of, 7-18 
Raton Mountains, 51 
Real del Monte, mines, 298 
Jieal^ value of, 24 
Jiecoleccion, casa de^ 114 
Records rescued from fire, 2i0 
Reforma, Paseo de la, 215 
Reform, Laws of the, 124 
Refugio, Virgin of, image of, 113 
Regina Coeli, church, 120 
Regla, Conde de, 201 

mines of, 298 
Religious order, Mexican, 193 

orders, 132 

orders, suppression of the, 123 
Remedios, Virgin of, 108, 266 
" Remedios," Spanish war-cry, 229 
Restaurants in City of Mexico, 28 
Revillagigedo, Viceroy, 74, 210, 248 
Right of Sanctuary, 119, 120 
Riot of 1692, 209 
Rooms, furnished, 29 
Rosario, capiUa del, 136 
Route, choosing a, 4 
Routes to Mexico, 3 
Ruins, S. Juan Teotihuacan, 257 

Texcoco, 259 

Uxmal, 68 

Xochicalco, 296 

SACRiFiciAii Stone, 93 

Sacro Monte, the, 263 

Sagrado Corazon (Sta.Inez),ch.,165 

Sagrario, church, 108 

Salazar, battle near, 270 

Saltillo, town, 65 
to San Isidro, 16 
stage line to, 12 

Salto del Agua, church, 183 
fountain of the, 218 
parish of the, 120 

Salto de Alvarado^ 223 

Salud, Casa de (Sp. Hospital), 199 

San Angel, town, 241 
Bernabe mine, 57 
Bias, steamer to, 19 
Carlos, Academy of, 86 

Sanctuary, right of, 119, 120 

San Isidro to Saltillo, 16 

Isidro, stage connection, 53 
Juan de Ulna, fort, 68 
Luis Potosi, stage to, 56 
Miguel de Allende, town, 274 

Santa Casa at San Miguel, 274 



Santa Fe, city, 5 

branch railway to, 5 
Santa Maria, suburb of, 74 
Santa Rosalia, railway station, 53 
Santiago, Conde de, house of, 223 

images of, 135, 181 

Tlaltelolco, church, 135 
Santisima, La, church, 181 
Say ago, Jose, philanthropist, 196 
School, Agriciiltural, 188 

Blind, for the, 205 

Commercial, 189 

Deaf and Dumb, for the, 205 

Law, 189 

Preparatory, 187 
Schools, Benevolent Society, 189 

Charitable, 204 

Correctional, 204 

Catholic Society, 190 

Industrial, 204 

Lancasterian, 189 

statistics of, and colleges, 183 
Sebastian, San, church. 111, 150 
Second-hand shops, 78 
Seminario Conciliar, 157, 189 
Seminario, piaza del, 212 
Senate chamber, 80 
Senor de los siete velos, 113 
September 16, anniversary, 376 
Servants, fees to, 22 

wages of, 30 
Servitas, Los, chapel, 133 
Seven Veils, Lord of the, 113 
Side trips, 4 
Silao, town, 57 
Silla, mountain, 64 
Sinking building, 186 
Smuggling, 64 
Snakes, heads in stone, 95 
Sociedad Catdlica, 190 

FUarmdnica, 307 

Lancasteriana, 189 
Soledad, capilla de la, 110 

y Cruz, Sta, church, 113 
Spain, Legation of, 38 
Stage lines, 7, 12, 16, 34, 53, 56, 66, 

294 
Standard of Independence, 277 
State department, 80 
Stationery, where to buy, 31 
Stone, The Calendar, 92 

carvings, Mexican, 98 

sacrificial, 93 

of the Sun, 93 
Strawberries at Irapuato, 59 ■ 



INDEX. 



309 



street of the Dead, 259 

names, abbreviations of, 38 
Streets of City of Mexico, 39-48 
Sulphur gathering, 297 
Suniaya, La, woman artist, 105 
Sun and Moon, Pyramids of, 257 
Sun, Stone of the, 9^ 

Tables d'hote, 28 
Tacuba, village, 249 
Tacuba, causeway to, 216 
Tacubaya, town, 240 
Tailor, pious, 181 
Tailors, alcaldes of the, 183 
Tajo de Nochistongo, 62, 264 
Tampico, steamer to, 19 
Tapestry, Flanders, 283 
Teatro Arbeu, 207 

Hidalgo, 207 

ISTacional, 206 

Principal, 192, 205 
Tembleque, aqueduct built, 277 
Tenochtitlan, 73 
Teoyaomiqui, idol, 93 
Tepeyac, causeway to, 217 
Tercer Ordeu de S. Francisco, 

130 
Terceros, Hospital de, 131 
Teresa la Antigua, Sta, 167 

la Nueva, Sta, 171 
Teresa, Sta, el Senor de, 169 
Terreros, Pedro Romero de, 201 

mines of, 298 
Tetetlecingo, town, 291 
Tetlepanquetzaltzin, 249 
Tetzcotzinco, ruins, 261 
Texcoco, town, 259 
Theatre owned by monks, 205 
Theatres, 205-207 
Theological Seminary, 157, 189 
Tianquiz of Cholula, 285 

de San Hipdlito, 213 
Tierra Dentro, road of the, 283 
Tiled house, 2:24 
Tile-work, beautiful, 246 
Time-tables, 5 
Tizoc, Cuaiihxicalli de, 94 
Tlacopan, town, 249 

causeway to, 216 
Tlalpam, town, 247 
Tlaltelolco, Santiago, church, 135 
Tlamacas, rancho of, 297 
Tlalmanalco, tramway to, 291 
Todas Santos, steamer to, 19 
Tollan, town, 61 



Tolsa, works of, 146, 154, ISO, 219, 

281 
Toluca, city, 267 

Tomas la Palma, Sto, church, 114 
Tomb of Bucareli, 233 

Comonfort, 225 

Cortes, 179 

Guerrero, 225 

Juarez, 223 

Miramon, 325 

Zaragoza, 225 
Tombs in Jesus Nazareno, 178 
Topo Chico, springs of, 65 
Totoquiyauhtzin I. and II., 349 
Treasury department, 80 
Tresguerras, architect, 373 

paintings by, 273 

portraits of, 273 
Trevino, Tomas, 140 
Trigueros, philanthropist, 305 
Triste, Indio, statue of, 95 
Tula, town, 61 
Tultenango, canon of, 270 
Tuxpan, steamer to, 19 
Two licpublicSy The, 31 
Tymon, Bishop, of Buffalo, 58 

Union Protestant Congregation, 38 
Universidad, 184 

Plaza de la (Volador), 77 
University, 184 

of Pennsylvania, 193 
Uruapan, lacquered ware of, 373 

coffee of, 72, 273 
Uxmal, ruins of, 68 

Valencia, Fray Martin de, 135 

Valladolid (Morelia), 271 

Valle, Marques del, 294 

Valley of Mexico, draining, 365 

Vara, length of, 24 

Valle jo, paintings by, 150, 185, 188 

Viga Canal, 253 

Canal, flower festival on, 214 

Garita de la, 254 

Paseo de la, 214 
Villafuerte, Juan Rodriguez, 108 
Vincent de Paul, Cong of S., 144 
Virgin, ivory carving of, 281 
Vizcainas, 203 
Volador, market of the, 76 

shops moved to, 208 

Washington Monument, 211 
Weights, Mexican and U. S., 25 



310 



IITDEX. 



"White Woman," see Ixtacci- 

huatl 
Wine, high price of, 23 
of Parras, white, 66 
Women, schools for, 204 
Wooden effigies, 246 

XiCACA, goddess, 263 
Xochicalco, ruins of, 296 
Xochimilco, boats to, 256 

Yautepec, 293 

Yldefonso, College of San, 187 

Yrolo Railway time-table, 18 



Ysabel, Santa, 165 
Yturbide, birthplace of, 271 

funeral of, 125 

monument to, 105 

palace of, 223 

Zacatecas, city, 54 
Zaragoza, tomb, 225 

victory of, at Puebla, 279 
Zempoala, aqueduct of, 277 
Zdcalo, garden of the, 211 
Zuleta, Don Cristobal, 129 
Zumarraga, Bishop, 101 

tomb, lOt) 



! 



v7 






/ 



